Using a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle is considered a distraction because:

1. It causes the driver to be concerned about the cost of the call.
2. It occupies the driver's hands, eyes, and mind. ✓
3. It is an activity that draws the attention of other drivers.

Answer: B. It occupies the driver's hands, eyes, and mind.

Using a cell phone while driving is a distraction because it occupies the driver's hands, eyes, and mind.

Why this is the answer

The handbook calls cell phones the main source of distracted driving and says handheld use is unsafe and illegal. It tells drivers not to answer a ringing phone, to let calls go to voicemail, and to pull safely off the road if they must make a call. It also says not to send or read texts or emails while driving. Holding a phone, looking at it to read or send, and thinking about the conversation are the kind of takeover of hands, eyes, and attention described in the answer.

Why the other answers are wrong

• A. It causes the driver to be concerned about the cost of the call. — Worrying about the cost of a call is not what the handbook identifies as the distraction; it focuses on the phone use itself taking your attention away from driving.
• C. It is an activity that draws the attention of other drivers. — The handbook does not say phone use is a distraction because it draws other drivers' attention; the problem is what it does to the driver using the phone.

Remember it

Hands, eyes, and mind: if the phone is pulling on all three, it is taking you away from the road.