Dangerous Driving Habits

向不良駕駛習慣說不Some things to avoid when behind the wheel of your car 保持警覺，開車安全至上Stay alert and drive safely by Pamela Osment

Quite often we see people driving recklessly and paying no attention to anyone else on the road. In fact, over 75 percent of the time, car accidents happen because of carelessness and driver error. What about you? Are you a safe driver, or have you developed dangerous driving habits that put you and others at risk?

Distractions – a major factor
According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distractions lead to one-fourth of all U.S. crashes. And drivers who don’t pay attention to the road cause 10 percent of all fatal crashes. The following actions may seem harmless, but they contribute to accidents every day:
- Eating, drinking and smoking while driving
- Tuning the radio
- Picking something up off the floor
-Reading a map or some other material
-Turning to talk to someone
-Opening the glove compartment
-Watching something on the side of the road
-Putting on makeup
Any of these distractions can steal your attention away only briefly. But those few seconds your eyes are off the road could change your life forever.

Techno-distractions
As technology becomes even more portable, it leads to more distractions inside the car. Studies show that using a cell phone while driving increases one's risk of a car accident by 400 percent! And while the hands-free versions are safer, they're not risk-free either. Whether you're dialing a number or just conversing with someone, cell phones prevent you from fully concentrating on your driving. While talking on cell phones has proven to be risky behavior, texting while driving can be even worse.

Research suggests that this all-too-common practice might be even more dangerous than drinking and driving. A stduy by Car and Driver magazine found that texting drivers had slower reaction times than drinking drivers! A separate study revealed that when drivers were texting, their collision risk was 23 times higher than when they weren't texting.
Drivers traveling 55 mph covered around 360 feet in the nearly five seconds that they were looking at their phones or adjusting their GPS. (Global Positioning System)

The best advice
Are you guilty of any of these dangerous driving habits? If so, make some changes today-for your sake and others'!

Grammar
Those phrases is very useful for direct point out something :
Studies show....., Research suggests, A study found...., A separate study revealed....(more direct way to say) =according to the research...(less direct saying)
show, suggests, found, revealed, discovered, confirmed, established... are more direct way to describe the statistic of the fact.

Vocabulary
recklessly-，毫无顾忌的 Without caution and care. similar with carelessness.没欧顾忌的，不在乎的。reck介意，顾虑，鲁莽的
He spent his inheritance recklessly and soon became poor.
*She behaves recklessly in front o her parents.
distraction- 分心 distraction, something take your attention away.
fatal-something causing death
converse (v)-交谈,谈话.(动词,重音在"ver" 第二音节).与什么对象交谈用"with".
*Conversing with computer game characters is lots of fun.
*Experts warn that investing money in the stock market is quite risky right now.
risky-危险的,风险的 risk-危险
*The operation might be risky, but it's also necessary. 手术.
collision- 碰撞,
*Hundreds of passengers were injured in the train collision. 火车碰撞.
*The collision between those two cars was caused by heavy rain.
*The motorist was in a collision with a truck. 和卡车相撞.

percent- 百分比
*Only one percent of the participants involved in this experiment experienced side effects.
percentage-What percentage of foreign students attend our school?
contribute-help the thing happen.导致，促成。促成什么用 "to"
Smoking contributes to heart disease.导致
*Smoking contributes to heart disease
*Your support contributed to our success.你闷的支持促使。。。成功。

Chat Room
Put some one at risk- 将某人置于危险cause someone in danger
put you and others at risk-把自己和别人置于危险。
The typhoon will put the crops at risk.会伤害到农作物。
at one's own risk-由自己负危险责任。
You swim in the ocean at your own risk
at the risk of something-冒什么危险
at the risk of loosing the friendship.
------------------------
free-not cost anything 免费的
-not control for obligation, no one force you to take or do. 自由的
feel free-自由地, 自在的
(Noun-free): something without.
hand-free-无手触的
sugar-free-无糖的
fat-free-无脂肪的
toll-free-免费的
duty-free-免税的
risk-free-无风险的