They are talking on the phone, eating meals, texting friends, reading letters, applying makeup, checking Facebook and even changing clothes while driving. In the process, those distracted drivers are making the roads a lot less safe for everyone else.

You’re probably not the one holding a coffee cup in one hand, a cell phone in the other and driving with your knee. But here are some pointers that could keep you from becoming one of the thousands of distracted drivers involved in crashes every day.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Distracted driving contributes to about 8,000 crashes every day.
• At any given time, 800,000 people are using a handheld cell phone while driving, which quadruples their risk of a crash.
• The nation’s youngest drivers – ages 20 and younger – are the most likely to be involved in an accident linked to distracted driving. Not surprising, perhaps, when one in four teen drivers admit to texting behind the wheel.
• Distracted driving was to blame for 5,474 traffic deaths in 2009. An additional 448,000 people were injured.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF:

So how can you keep your mind on the road when there are so many other things – whether it be cell phones, CDs or hamburgers – competing for your attention? Here are some tips, courtesy of the AAA Foundation, that might help reduce distractions while in the driver’s seat.

Plan ahead: Before you hit the road, read a map and check traffic conditions.

Turn off your phone: As hard as that may sound, turning off your phone will reduce the temptation to talk or text while driving.

Prepare children and pets for the trip: Make sure to buckle your kids, and get them set up with snacks and entertainment, before you head down the highway. The same goes for pets. Get them situated for the trip before you go.

Satisfy cravings off the road: Eat meals and snacks before hopping in the driver’s seat. If you plan to travel a long distance, take a break during meal times.

Avoid unnecessary clutter: Stow away any loose objects that could roll around while you’re driving. Those objects are bound to take your attention away from the road.

Don’t change clothes: Your car isn’t a dressing room. Don’t try to swap outfits, apply makeup or shave while driving. Do that before you leave or after you reach your destination.

Get your head in the game: Focus on what you’re supposed to be doing: driving. Don’t let your attention wander from the traffic ahead, where you want to be the first to spot brake lights or a possible obstruction in the road.

JUST FOR FUN:

Thanks for taking a moment to think about safe driving. We appreciate that. And we appreciate you. Here’s a little laugh to wrap things up.

If you can afford a Maserati Granturismo – with its minimum pricetag of $139,900 – then maybe you won’t mind that insurance companies consider it the most pricey car to repair. Its collision costs are 326 percent higher than the average car.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has compiled this report comparing the insurance costs of dozen of vehicles, ranging from Dodge Caravans to Volkswagen Beetles to Honda Civics.

So, here’s a peek at which vehicles are the most expensive to repair – and which will likely lead to higher insurance rates.

Most Expensive:

• Maserati Grantursmo – Price tag: $139,900 (Repair costs 326 percent higher than average.)
• Mercedes Benz CL class – Price tag: $158,700 (Repair costs 212 percent higher than average.
• Nissan GTR 4WD – Price tag: $89,950 (Repair costs 192 percent higher than average.

Least Expensive

• Chevrolet Express 3500 Cargo Van – Price tag: $25,090 (Repair costs 69 percent lower than average.)
• Volvo XC60 – Price tag: $33,300 (Repair costs 67 percent lower than average.)
• Ford E-150 Econoline Van – Price tag: $28,760 (Repair costs 67 percent lower than average.)

Want to find out how your own car fares? Here’s where to look.

QUICK HINT: If your dream car – whether it’s a Shelby GT or a PT Cruiser – has a score of 100, then the fix-up costs are about average. If the score is lower than 100, the repair costs are below-average. And if they are higher than 100, you can expect higher insurance costs.

And with good reason. That’s when teens are most likely to experience their first crash. But there are things you can do as a parent to better prepare your young driver for the road ahead.

It may be as simple as downloading an app that keeps your teen from texting while driving. It may be imposing a rule that limits the number of passengers your new driver can have in the car.

Here are some steps you can take to keep your teen from running into problems – or other vehicles – on the road.

Did you know?

• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among teens. In 2009, about 3,000 teens, ages 15 to 19, were killed in car crashes. Another 350,000 were treated in emergency rooms for injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
• For each mile driven, teen drivers are four times more likely to crash than older drivers.
• The first month of driving is the most dangerous for teens. The AAA Foundation found that teens are 50 percent more likely to get in a crash during their first month on the road than after a year’s worth of experience.
• Young drivers suffer more crash-related injuries than their older counterparts. Although young drivers, ages 15-20, comprise only 14 percent of the nation’s population, they are responsible for up to 30 percent of the money spent on injuries.

How to protect your teen and others:

Avoid distractions: Discourage your teen from talking on the cell phone, changing CDs or eating while driving. Each of those behaviors could take your teen’s mind off the road long enough to cause an accident. You may want to consider a variety of cell phone apps that either disable calls or texts on the road.

Limit passengers: The chance of your teen being involved in a crash goes up when a teenage passenger is in the car, according to the Centers for Disease Control. And that risk gets even higher when there are two, three or four passengers in the vehicle. Put limits on how many passengers your child can take with them in the car.

Keep gender in mind: If your teen driver is male, pay extra attention to his driving habits. In 2006, the death rate for young male drivers was twice that of their female counterparts, the CDC reports. Teen boys are more likely to speed and provide less spaced between their car and one ahead of them.

Encourage seat belt use: You may not be able to watch your teen all the time, but getting him or her to wear a seat belt could guard against an otherwise deadly collision. Seat belts reduce the risk of a fatal crash by 50 percent. Unfortunately, young males are the least likely to buckle up.

Say no to night driving: Driving in the dark is a high-risk activity for beginning drivers. Per mile, the crash rate for teenage drivers is three times higher after 9 p.m. than during the day, according to the CQ Researcher. Overall, about 40 percent of teen motor vehicle fatalities happen at night.

Keep tabs on your teen: Don’t be afraid to monitor your teen’s driving. Take a ride with your teen. Talk about his or her driving habits. And maybe consider a gadget that will keep tabs on your child’s driving while you’re away. There are technologies out there as invasive as a driving cam, or as innocuous as a plug-in monitor that will track speeds and hard-braking incidents.

Just for fun: