driving has become a commonplace in the United States. In fact, more than 25 states have signed or implemented texting-while-driving laws. That's good news, since a distraction of any type—whetheryou are taking youreyesoff the road, your handsoff the wheel or your mindoff your driving—can have very serious consequences. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as recently as 2008, nearly 6,000 people died in crashesinvolving a distracted driver, and more than half a million were injured. Although the spotlight’s on cell phones andtexting, distracted driving encompasses many other activities—from tuning theradio, eating, putting on makeup, reading, looking for something on the floor or in the glove box, and talking or refereeing disagreements in the car. You can do a numberof things to break the habit and cut down on your own distracted driving incidents, such as: e Be prepared before you start your car—If you put on makeup, eat, or program your GPSbefore you hit the road, you'll cut down on somedistractions. If you organize what you need for your final destination before you leave, you won’t need to search while driving. Go handsfree—If you must use the cell phone when driving, invest in technology that will help you keep your eyes on the road. Several installation-free kits are available that can help you go handsfree for less than the cost of a ticket. e Take a break—Even with a hands-free device, the best idea is One way to combat distracted driving is to manage your time effectively before you get in the car so you don’t have to multitask when behind the wheel. to pull over if you must make calls, answer texts or deal with issues involving other passengers. One wayto go handsfree is the Parrot Minikit Slim. The speaker- phone clips onto your car’s sun visor, and once paired via Bluetooth with your mobile device, it automatically downloads your contact list. Using voice com- mands, it can dial up anyone in your phonebook and can be turned off and on with the push of one button. In addition to portable options, another way to go hands free is with an installed product such as the Parrot MKi9200. Installed products are fully integrated into the vehicle’s existing stereo system so phone calls can be heard with the same sound quality as music. In addition, music players such as iPods can be played through the vehicle stereo system via an installed solution. To learn more, visit the website at www.parrot.com.
