There’s been a lot of attention paid recently to the dangers of being distracted by cell phone conversations behind the wheel of a moving car. But how about putting on makeup? Brushing teeth? Watching a portable television set? Reading the paper? Putting on pantyhose? Doing things usually saved for the bedroom – or at least the back seat?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that at least 25 percent of police-reported crashes involved some form of driver inattention. The Los Angeles Times suggests that the number may be higher in LA, where commuters spend an average of an hour a day in traffic.
A recent survey of motorists in 10 of the nation’s largest cities called Los Angeles drivers “masters at multi-tasking behind the wheel.” It found that 68 percent of LA drivers routinely drink beverages, 59 percent eat, and 15 percent apply makeup, shave or comb their hair while driving.
Conversations the paper had with local police, California Highway Patrol officers and truckers seems to bear this out.
For instance, while many people eat behind the wheel, CHP officers have seen it taken to new heights – or lows – of stupidity. One cited an example of a man eating with chopsticks while driving down the road – and had a photo to prove it. Another saw a man holding a steaming bowl of soup in one hand, the spoon in the other. He used his knees to steer, going about 60 mph.
Talented knees were also in use when a truck driver spotted a woman using both hands to try to put on pantyhose, traveling about 55 mph on the Long Beach Freeway. As if shaving with electric razors, brushing teeth and applying makeup while driving to work weren’t bad enough.
Knees showed up again when a reserve Los Angeles police officer stopped a speeding motorist who was holding an e-mail device in one hand, reading the message on the screen, and using his other hand to talk on a cell phone.
Technology is apparently making it more tempting to enjoy some entertainment while driving. People with books, magazines and newspapers draped over the wheel is nothing new. But now officers are pulling over people playing portable video games or watching a hand-held TV.
And, of course, there are the tales of naked drivers and acts of intimacy performed behind the wheel.
“You name it and our officers have encountered it,” CHP Sgt. Tim Maley told the paper.
Many truckers would probably agree.