County Official Tells Terrifying Story Of Distracted Driver

What distracted behaviors have you seen drivers doing on the road this week? The McLeod/Meeker County Toward Zero Deaths Facebook page shared a particularly terrifying story of a distracted driver this week.

While on the way home, a county official was following a lady driving a pickup truck. "I saw her reach over and grab her coffee mug," the official said. "When she reached over she was no longer looking at the road and crossed over to the gravel shoulder."

The woman continued down the road and next was doing her hair. With no hands on the steering wheel she continued to weave within her lane most likely driving with her knees.

"I figured after she was done with her hair she would now focus on driving.. I was wrong.. next she continued to do her makeup. While looking into the mirror and no hands on the steering wheel she continued weaving within the lane.."

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"A generation where it has now become the "norm" to be running late and trying to catch up with things inside the car," the county official said. "Wake up 5 minutes earlier than your 'norm' and finish getting ready at home."

"Drive safe"

Distracted Driving

Distracted or inattentive driving is when a driver engages in any activity that might distract them from the primary task of driving — and increases their risk of crashing.

Each year in Minnesota, distracted or inattentive driving is a factor in one in four crashes, resulting in at least 70 deaths and 350 serious injuries, according to the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety (OTS).

OTS estimates these numbers are vastly underreported due to law enforcement’s challenge in determining distraction as a crash factor.

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