Editing Driving (section)

===Mental skill===
[[File:Hwy 11 Ontario Winter.JPG|thumb|Observing the environment. Driving in a snowy condition can pose serious hazards. The snow affects the [[vehicle dynamics|dynamics of the car]].]]
Avoiding or successfully handling an emergency driving situation can involve the following skills:<ref>{{cite web| title=Think driving is all about practical skills?| url=http://www.easytodrive.co.uk/| publisher=Easy to Drive| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117095149/http://www.easytodrive.co.uk/| archive-date=2008-01-17}}</ref>
* Observing the environment for road signs, driving conditions, and hazards
* [[Spatial contextual awareness|Awareness of surroundings]], especially in heavy and city traffic
* Making good and quick decisions based on factors such as road and traffic conditions
* Evasive maneuvering
* Understanding [[vehicle dynamics]]
* [[Left- and right-hand traffic]]

[[File:Distracted driving kills, keep your eyes and mind on the road 130417-M-RR352-002.jpg|thumb|[[Distracted driving]].{{quote|Driver distraction is a significant risk factor in traffic. It occurs when attention is diverted away from activities needed for safe driving towards a competing activity|<ref>European Commission (2022) Road safety thematic report –Driver distraction. European Road Safety 
bservatory. Brussels, European Commission, Directorate General for Transport.</ref>}}]]
[[Distracted driving|Distractions]] can compromise a driver's mental skills, as can any [[altered state of consciousness]]. One study on the subject of [[mobile phones and driving safety]] concluded that, after controlling for driving difficulty and time on task, drivers talking on a phone exhibited greater impairment than drivers who were suffering from alcohol intoxication.<ref name="Strayer">{{Cite web |first1=David |last1=Strayer |first2=Frank |last2=Drews |first3=Dennis |last3=Crouch |title=Fatal Distraction? A Comparison of the Cell-Phone Driver and the Drunk Driver |location=University of Utah Department of Psychology |year=2003 |url=http://www.psych.utah.edu/AppliedCognitionLab/DrivingAssessment2003.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411094037/http://www.psych.utah.edu/AppliedCognitionLab/DrivingAssessment2003.pdf |archive-date=2009-04-11 }}</ref> In the US "During daylight hours, approximately 481,000 drivers are using cell phones while driving according to the publication on the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. Another survey indicated that music could adversely affect a driver's concentration."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving|title=Distracted Driving|last=National Highway Traffic Safety Association}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Distracted Driving {{!}} NHTSA |url=https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving |access-date=2023-03-06 |website=National Highway Traffic Safety Administration |language=en}}</ref><ref>[http://www.infoniac.com/science/hard-rock-and-classic-music-could-lead-to-road-accidents.html Hard-Rock and Classic Music Could Lead to Road Accidents, New Survey Says]; Infoniac.com</ref>

Seizure disorders and Alzheimer's disease are among the leading medical causes of mental impairment among drivers in the United States and Europe.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite journal |last=Appel |first=Jacob |date=2009-06-01 |title=Must Physicians Report Impaired Driving? Rethinking a Duty on a Collision Course with Itself |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/JCE200920204 |journal=The Journal of Clinical Ethics |language=en |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=136–140 |doi=10.1086/JCE200920204 |pmid=19554818 |s2cid=43453501 |issn=1046-7890|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Whether or not physicians should be allowed, or even required, to report such conditions to state authorities, remains highly controversial.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>