While distractions don’t always result in a crash, they do cause havoc for other drivers on the road, including:

• Loss of vehicle control

• Unintended speed changes

• Leaving the lane of travel

• Missed opportunities to respond to changes in the driving scene

These old bones don’t have the elasticity of Mr. Fantastic, so every once in a while I have to reach for something while I’m driving. More often than not, it’s to reach over and smack the passenger side dashboard. Wipeout has this annoying little rattle that pops up from time to time.

Many times we don’t realize what a distraction reaching can be. We often think of reaching as retrieving something from a purse or picking up an object that slid off the seat, but reaching doesn’t always involve inanimate objects. It can also mean handing a toy to a child in the back seat, or even reaching back to pet an animal passenger. If you do have to reach for something, make sure that your focus always remains on the road. If whatever you’re looking for is out of reach, well, just leave it there until you “reach” your destination.