Defensive driving, distractions and fatigue

Key points

1. Driver error causes more than 90% of highway crashes.

   Source: Handbook p. 86

   “Driver error causes more than 90% of highway crashes.”
   Idaho Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 86

2. Signal for the required 5 seconds or 100 feet before moving your vehicle.

   Source: Handbook p. 87

   “Signal for the required five seconds or 100 feet before moving your vehicle.”
   Idaho Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 87

3. Keep your hands at about the nine and three o'clock positions.

   Source: Handbook p. 89

   “driving with both hands placed on opposite sides of the steering wheel at approximately the nine o'clock and three o'clock positions.”
   Idaho Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 89

4. Look about 10 to 15 seconds ahead, about a block in the city.

   Source: Handbook p. 89

   “Good drivers keep an eye on what's happening about ten to 15 seconds ahead. That's about a block in city driving.”
   Idaho Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 89

5. Check traffic behind you several times a minute.

   Source: Handbook p. 90

   “Check the traffic behind you frequently (several times a minute) so you'll know if somebody is tailgating”
   Idaho Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 90

6. Reading, writing or sending texts while driving is illegal in Idaho; hands free use without either hand is allowed.

   Source: Handbook p. 92

   “In Idaho, reading, writing, or sending of written communication (text messaging) while driving is illegal and considered an infraction. It does not apply to hands-free devices without the use of either hand.”
   Idaho Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 92

7. Texting while driving is six times more dangerous than driving impaired.

   Source: Handbook p. 93

   “Texting while driving is six times more dangerous than driving impaired.”
   Idaho Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 93

8. When drowsy, pull off at the first rest stop or service area and take a nap.

   Source: Handbook p. 93

   “Stop driving when you feel drowsy. Pull off the highway at the first rest stop or service area. If you're feeling drowsy, get off the road and take a nap.”
   Idaho Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 93

9. Alive at 25 is a defensive driving course for drivers 15 through 24.

   Source: Handbook p. 94

   “Alive at 25 is a defensive driving course offered for those who are 15 through 24 years old.”
   Idaho Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 94

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Idaho practice test

1. 1. What share of highway crashes does the Idaho handbook attribute to driver error?

   1. About 10 percent
   2. About half
   3. Less than 5 percent
   4. More than 90 percent
   Show answer

   More than 90 percent. Driver error causes more than 90 percent of highway crashes, so a driver must learn not only the rules but the mental and physical conditions that affect performance, including mood, fatigue and distraction. Your ability to drive safely depends on how you feel and what you were doing before you got behind the wheel, not just what you know, so fatigue, anger and distraction all belong in the risk calculation.

2. 2. A defensive driver should keep an eye on what is happening how far ahead?

   1. About 10 to 15 seconds ahead
   2. About 2 to 3 seconds ahead
   3. Only as far as the next intersection
   4. About 5 to 7 seconds ahead
   Show answer

   About 10 to 15 seconds ahead. Looking well ahead gives you time to notice a developing hazard and make a smooth decision before the last moment. The handbook uses a range of about 10 to 15 seconds, which is about a block in city driving. A glance only 2 to 3 seconds or 5 to 7 seconds ahead falls short of that range and leaves less time to react. Watching only the next intersection invites the last minute lane changes, turns, and stops that the handbook says often cause crashes. Keep your eyes moving beyond the vehicle directly ahead.

3. 3. Under Idaho's cellphone rule, which activity is illegal while driving?

   1. Reading, writing, or sending written communication such as a text
   2. Using a hands-free device without either hand
   3. Listening to a passenger give directions
   4. Pulling into a safe place before sending a message
   Show answer

   Reading, writing, or sending written communication such as a text. Idaho treats reading, writing, or sending written communication while driving as an infraction. The hands-free exception applies when neither hand is used, so that choice is not the prohibited activity described here. Listening to a passenger is different from handling written communication, and parking safely before messaging removes the driving conflict. The clearest cue is to put the phone away before the vehicle moves. If communication is necessary, stop in a safe place before engaging with it.

Source: the Idaho Driver's Handbook, The Driving Task. This lesson is a plain English summary, not the law itself; where it differs, the manual and the statute govern. Last checked 2026-09-27.