Distracted driving is often highlighted by law enforcement as a factor in many vehicle collisions.
While many believe cell phones are to blame, Safety NL says sometimes it’s the vehicles themselves.
Sean Kelly says travelling too near is a big factor in rear-end collisions but large screens on dashboards can also make it easier for the eyes to stray, even momentarily, from the road ahead.
He says in the time it takes you to view a text that comes up, or choose a song or station, you will have travelled “a great distance.” He says a vehicle traveling at 100 km/h can cover 28 metres in just one second. “You don’t have much reaction time if the car ahead of you has to stop all of a sudden.”