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Talk on the phone while you're driving? Fix your makeup? Check e-mail? You're not alone.
A survey shows 81 percent of Americans do more than drive when they're behind the wheel.
More than eight of 10 people surveyed by Nationwide Mutual Insurance said they adjust the radio or music while they drive, while 73 percent talk on the phone, 68 percent eat, 19 percent send text messages and 5 percent checked their e-mail.
Personal hygiene(1) was also a big driver distraction, with 19 percent fixing their hair, 12 percent putting on makeup and 2 percent shaving while at the controls of a car.
"Clearly Americans have much to do and little time to do it, so to cope with that we've become multi-taskers," said Bill Windsor, associate vice president of Safety at Nationwide.
"The problem with that is driving requires focus, and multi-tasking while driving puts you and your fellow drivers(2) at risk."
Drivers in the survey also admitted to changing seats with passengers, watching a movie, painting their toenails(3), nursing a baby and putting in contact lenses(4) while driving.
Younger drivers multi-task the most, the survey found, with 35 percent of 18-to-27 year olds saying they always multi-task in the car, compared to 21 percent of baby boomers.
Windsor said the consequences for young drivers are severe, with car accidents being the number one cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 27.
"The bottom line is if it can be done in the kitchen, bathroom, office or bedroom, it should not be done in the car," Windsor said.
While some U.S. jurisdictions(5) require hands-free devices for cell phone use in cars, most of the activities listed in the survey are not illegal unless they are determined to be the cause of an accident.
The survey of 1,200 drivers between the ages of 18 and 60 found that while 83 percent believe they are safe drivers, 38 percent admitted they have driven a certain distance without any recollection of doing so.
驾车时候打电话？化妆？查阅电子邮件？这样做的并非只有你一个！
一项调查显示，百分之八十一的美国人开车的时候都有“小动作”。
超过五分之四的受测者承认他们在驾驶过程中调广播台或者音乐，百分之七十三的人打电话，百分之六十八的人吃东西，百分之十九的人发短信，百分之五的人查阅邮件。此调查由美国互助保险公司赞助主持。
另一大分神行为是打理个人形象，百分之十九的人整理头发、百分之十二的人化妆、百分之二的人刮胡子。
保险公司安全部副主席说：“显然美国人的时间入不敷出，只好同时处理多项事务。”
“问题是开车需要精力高度集中，同时做其他的事情会置你和其他司机于险境。”
受测司机还承认曾在驾驶中与乘客换座位、看电影、涂脚指甲、照看宝宝和戴隐形。
年轻司机最会一心多用，18-27岁的司机中有百分之三十五承认他们驾驶时还做别的事情，六十年代生人中仅有百分之二十一。
Windsor说年轻司机的做法会带来很严重的后果，车祸已经成为18-27岁美国青年的最大杀手。
Windsor说：“能在厨房、浴室、办公室或者卧室做的事情就不要带到车上做。”
尽管一些美国法律规定驾驶时必须使用“解放双手”式手机，但是这张调查问卷上提到的行为法律上都未作规定，除非这些行为成为事故主因。
1200名受测者的年龄从18岁到60岁，虽然百分之八十三的人认为自己是安全司机，却有百分之三十八的人承认驾驶了好长一段距离后才能意识到自己在开车。
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