The number one responsibility of anyone who gets behind the wheel of a motor vehicle is to pay attention to their driving. A driver who allows anything to distract him is not only endangering himself but anyone in the car with him as well as everyone else with whom he shares the road, and can be held liable for negligence in a car accident.

What are some of the most common distractions that a driver should avoid? According to many current news reports, cell phones top the list. Dialing, talking, texting, these are all tasks that should be performed by a driver only when the vehicle is off the road and parked. Attention should be kept on driving activities because there are a lot of them: monitoring nearby traffic, keeping an eye on personal speed, checking rearview mirrors for vehicles approaching from behind, observing traffic signals, road design or defects reading road signs, these are just some of the things to which a driver should pay attention. Glancing down at a cell phone to see who's calling, even for just a second, could lead to a serious accident.

Performing other tasks while driving can also distract a driver. Lighting a cigarette removes the driver's attention from his primary task: driving the vehicle. Drinking and eating are similarly distracting and should be put on hold until the driver reaches his destination. Putting on lipstick or tying a necktie not only take a driver's hands off the steering wheel, but usually involves checking the mirror. That in turn takes the driver's eyes, and attention, off the road and the traffic around him. It takes only a split-second of distraction to miss another vehicle changing lanes, suddenly braking, or even stopping. The result can be deadly.

Studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have shown that people who are distracted while driving pose as big a danger to others as people who drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Distraction does, in fact, cause almost half of all motor vehicle accidents today, and result in serious injuries and deaths. More teenagers are killed in motor vehicle accidents than in any other way.

So it is important for drivers to pay attention to their number one responsibility: driving. Anything else, even a distracting conversation with a passenger, can wait until everyone reaches their destination safely.