Editorial: Why not just drive?

Put the phone down when driving.

I hope you're not driving as you read this.

The AA list of Top 10 driver distractions includes some obvious dangers: texting and eating while driving, for example (probably not at the same time though).

But I did do a double-take when I saw that reading a newspaper or magazine was first equal with texting on the list.

I mean, I encourage you all to read newspapers on a daily basis.

But maybe at a table or desk or in a comfy chair is a better option than reading it behind the wheel.

The other major distraction I was most surprised about was No2 on the list - shaving while driving. What?

To be fair, it is lumped in with "applying make-up" and "other personal grooming" (the mind boggles) but who shaves while driving?

Yes, I guess many of us have the luxury of living in a city with a relatively quick and painless commute to work.

We can afford time to read the paper, eat breakfast and use the bathroom before leaving for work, like normal people.

Perhaps those who face a motorway traffic jam every morning feel they can't afford to get up 20 minutes earlier and it needs to be done en route.

But how stupid would you feel if you crashed because you were distracted by your razor?

How awful would you feel if you hurt someone else because you weren't concentrating on the road?

Interestingly, billboards and outdoor advertising appear on the list of distractions.

I guess those Tui billboards at their best are quite a distraction, but I wonder if any of the survey respondents whose answers made up the list had the nation's numerous road safety signs in mind.

Food for thought, as long as you're not driving.

Kim Gillespie is the editor of the Rotorua Daily Post.