The worst driving mistakes

Hey, you! Put down the Krispy Kreme apple fritter, steer between the lane markers, get that lead foot off the accelerator and when you get home, be sure to catch enough Z's so you can avoid getting into a crash.

Factors like sleepiness and veering out of the lane are among the most common causes of fatal auto accidents, along with better-known bone-headed stunts like drinking and driving.

Of course, nobody's perfect, but some mistakes will come back to bite you harder (and faster) than others. For example, nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involve some form of driver inattention in the three seconds before collision, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

With this in mind, here's a look at which ill-advised moves are most likely to cause a crash, as opposed to, say, mere eye-rolls or single-finger salutes from nearby drivers.

SPEEDING: By far the mistake most likely to cause an accident is unsafe speed, according to California's Office of Traffic Safety. Law enforcement officers reported 149,258 crashes in the state caused by unsafe speed in 2007. Racing, driving faster than the posted speed limit or going too fast for road conditions are all moves that should not be tried on the highway.

Besides, it's like setting fire to the ever-shrinking amount of money in drivers' wallets, as gas prices approach $3 a gallon in many cities.

IMPROPER TURNS: One good turn definitely deserves another, because an improper turn is likely to lead to a crash. Such turns caused 85,967 accidents in California in 2007, according to the office of traffic safety.

"An improper turning movement is anything that would veer you off your course," said Jeanie Hoatson, a California Highway Patrol officer. "Say you were swerving to avoid something and you crashed, or you are driving down a straight road and go too far to the left or right. Or you drifted to the left and over corrected, and then crashed."

BAD MERGING: While few of us consider the right-of-way an inherently dangerous issue, it caused 60,707 crashes in California in 2007, the third-highest cause of accidents in the state.

The problem arises most often when drivers fail to yield when merging into traffic. When making the transition onto the highway, keep a sharp eye out for cars in the far right lane.

IMPAIRMENT: Safety experts say driving while fatigued is as dangerous as driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs. Driving while drowsy caused the deaths of 1,404 people in the United States in 2007, according to the national traffic safety agency. Motorists who find themselves dozing behind the wheel should do as auto association AAA suggests and pull into a rest stop or other safe area.

DRIFTING OUT OF LANE: This one sounds like a no-brainer, but it caused 15,574 fatal crashes nationwide in 2007, according to the national traffic safety agency: not staying in the lane. Drifting into the adjacent lane or running off the road is a killer, literally.

DISTRACTED DRIVING: Motorists talking on handheld cellphones are the bane of many drivers. (Some states, including Washington, ban the use of handheld cellphones while driving.) It's not just an irritation, the national traffic safety agency says: Inattentive driving was responsible for 4,704 deaths across the country in 2007.

And it's not just those cellphone chatterers. Munching on bagels, sipping coffee, applying makeup and playing with the car stereo are all distractions that can result in a crash, not to mention the dry cleaning bills. So, drivers, save the Krispy Kreme until you get home, and stay safe.