Six deadly things drivers do behind the wheel
You may think you're a unreal multi-tasker, but when behind the wheel, road safety professionals are demanding people lose some of that confidence.
Mobile phones continue to rate as the biggest distraction to motorists and road safety officer in Mayo County Council Noel Gibbons said drivers needed to resist temptation and be 100% focused on driving when behind the wheel.
"It doesn't matter how many times we hammer it, people are still willing to pick up a phone and check Facebook or check their status on other social media or on a dating page or whatever."
"It's just astounding that they're more concerned about what's going on outside of their vehicle than what's right in front of them. They're not only putting their life at risk, but every other road user."
He said it was now common to seize any mobile phones from people involved in a crash to determine whether it was a contributing factor because there was a high chance it was.
"We would anticipate distractions like mobile phones make up at least 20% of the cause for traffic crashes and fatals,"
Don't drive like Mr Bean - drive safely and focus on your driving.
But it's not always phones distracting drivers.
Reports from police forces from around the world point out some of the deadly things they have seen drivers doing while behind the wheel.
1. Mobile phones - Facebook, Snapchat, social media, surfing the web, taking photos etc.Snap chat you could be sending your last snap.
2. Doing work on an iPad while driving at 100km on the motorway
3. Sexual acts
4. Putting on make-up
5. Brushing their hair
6. Eating cereal from a bowl with a spoon. And eating anything at all.
No matter how sneaky you think you're being, a Garda can always tell if you're on your phone while driving.
One tell-tale sign is 'the nod' where the driver constantly looks up and down.
Another is the light on the driver's face if they are using it at night.
Many Gardai in their vehicles pull up next to motorists and be there for 10-20 seconds before the driver, engrossed in their phone, realised they had company.
