How one self-described great driver avoids dangers of distraction: Roadshow

Q: I am a GREAT, excellent, safe driver. The best!
 You know why?

I’m easily distracted and know what I must do to prevent it. 
I have been driving for 60 years and have never had an accident.
 I am constantly aware of my surroundings … what’s moving (or not) in front, on the sides, and behind me. 
I don’t turn the car radio on or play CDs. I need quiet to keep me 100% focused. 
I don’t have any of the other symptoms of attention deficit disorder, just this one.

If a friend is chatting away in the passenger seat and I have to change lanes or do some other maneuver on a packed roadway, I kindly ask them to shush for a moment.
 Oh, and I also never drink any alcohol. I don’t like the taste.

Jeanette Fitzgerald, Danville

A: It’s good to know you are paying such close attention. Safety institutes used to say that impaired drivers, those who were drunk or had been taking drugs, and texters were the biggest villains on our roads. Now, they say that distracted drivers are a major menace, due primarily to the gadgets and screens that take drivers’ eyes off the road. Police will conduct a campaign throughout the state this summer to try to curb this growing and dangerous problem.