Ever heard of information overload? It happens when you burden your brain with too many tasks at once – like concentrating on driving safely while having a telephonic argument with your partner. Essentially, you become distracted, and this distraction diminishes your ability to react properly should something dangerous happen while you’re driving. We’ve found 10 SUPER naughty things people do while driving – each causing varying degrees of distraction. So, how many of these have you been guilty of?

If you pass a car on the road, and the driver’s looking down into their lap, chances are they’re looking at their phone (instead of the road). This is extremely dangerous, as 1 out of every 4 car crashes in the United States is caused by texting and driving.

Tip: Invest in a hands-free car kit, or switch your phone off and place it in your car’s glove compartment while driving so people know you’re unavailable.

Ladies, we’re talking to you. We understand the struggle! You’re running late, and you know there’s a bit of congestion at that one traffic light in the mornings, so you decide to take your vanity bag along and put your face on while driving to work. NAUGHTY! By turning your rear-view mirror towards you, you’re not keeping an eye on what’s happening behind you. Imagine what could happen should you be rear-ended while applying mascara…

Tip: Try and do your makeup before leaving home, or only once you arrive at work. Scared of what fellow commuters might think of your sans-makeup face? Invest in a funny mask, wear it while driving, and enjoy the laughing smiles you receive.

We get it! You dropped your Big Mac into the passenger-side footwell and you adhere strictly to the 10 second rule. You might want to let dropped burgers lie until you get a chance to pull over! Reaching for something endangers your life – and the lives of those around you – in two ways: Firstly, you’re taking your eyes completely off of the road while moving. Secondly, you’re contorting your body into a different

Tip: No matter how quickly you’re able to scoop up the thing you’re reaching for, rather play it safe and bring your vehicle to a complete stop before you do.

The South African road rules and regulations clearly state that a vehicle’s lights must be activated between sunset and sunrise, as well as when visibility is bad (like when driving through fog or rain). By refusing to turn your lights on when things start getting dark, other drivers will have a hard time spotting you from a distance. When they can’t see you, they can’t prepare for your vehicular actions.

Tip: When driving, look at your fellow commuters. If many of them have their lights on, consider switching yours on too. If nobody’s driving with their lights on, you’re safe to keep yours off!

You’ve probably experienced this a few times: Pulling up to your favourite shopping centre, you hear a distant bass line humming a tune you’ve heard somewhere before. You spot the only free parking bay, but as you pull in you realise that the deafening beats are coming from the car right next to you – and the driver is singing at the top of his lungs. While singing along to his favourite songs is not problematic, creating noise pollution and rattling the doors off of vehicles within a 50-metre radius is.

Whether you call them turning signals (like our North American friends), or indicators, very few South Africans actually know how to use that little clicker to the side of their steering wheel. Indicators do just that – they let you indicate your vehicular movement intentions. So, if you’re hoping to swap lanes, indicating your intention well before actually turning will let everyone in your vicinity know, and they can prepare accordingly.

Tip: To get used to using your indicators, practice activating them every time you need to turn or change lanes – even when you’re the only car on the road.

No, we’re not talking about LITERALLY driving up someone’s posterior (though that would be an interesting sight). We’re talking about when people who are clearly in a rush – for whatever reason – drive as close to your rear bumper as they can get without touching you. This is usually accompanied by frantic flashing lights and a few crude hand gestures. All this does is agitate the driver being tailgated, and they’ll probably end up driving even slower for it.

Tip: NEVER get closer than a car’s length from the vehicle in front of you – period. If they’re driving way below the speed limit in the fast lane, safely pass them in the slow lane instead

This only becomes an issue at night. Another naughty things people do while driving is to keep their foot on the brake pedal when waiting at a red traffic light. This keeps the glaring red brake lights active and someone waiting behind you gets a face full of bright red light. This one’s all about common decency, folks!

Tip: When stopped at a red traffic light at night, opt for your handbrake instead and spare the person behind you an eyeful.

You’ve seen them; the in-cutters. These are people who don’t believe in queueing for anything! They’ll drive all the way to the front of the queue, then try and force their way in so as not to have their trip delayed by a minute or three. There are two people at fault when this happens: The person who thinks they’re above the traffic laws, and the person who lets them cut in.

Tip: We know you probably prefer to avoid vehicular conflict wherever possible, but consider the people behind you – who’ve been queueing for ages just like you – before you let someone cut in front of you

This naughty thing people do while driving affects us all – including our pets. You might know the road like the back of your toe, but that doesn’t mean you can speed along residential roads. People live in residential areas (hence the name), and many of them own pets. Some of these pets walk around in the road, just like your pets do in your area of residence.

Tip: When driving in residential areas, you’re going too fast if you won’t be able to stop before hitting an animal that suddenly jumped out at you.