A morning grooming decision turned into a highway crash in Polk County, Florida, just after sunrise Monday. The driver was applying deodorant while negotiating a curve on State Road 570.
The 22-year-old Auburndale man was traveling west near mile marker 14 around 7 a.m. in a GMC Sierra.
He struck a crash attenuator, roadside equipment designed to lessen collisions with fixed hazards, and came to rest atop the concrete barrier.
No injuries were reported. Troopers later confirmed the deodorant was a stick, not a spray. FHP did not identify the driver or release a photo.
Hands, Eyes or Mind
Photo: Florida Highway Patrol
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles defines distraction as anything that takes a driver’s hands off the wheel, eyes off the road or mind off driving.
Examples include eating, engaging with passengers, listening to loud music and adjusting entertainment or navigation systems.
Preliminary 2024 data showed nearly 300 people died and more than 2,200 suffered serious injuries in Florida crashes involving distracted drivers. One in seven crashes in the state is attributed to a distracted driver.
Some distracted driving never gets counted that way. Florida can instead cite drivers for careless driving, failure to maintain a single lane or aggressive careless driving, which FLHSMV says contributes to underreporting.
Still Getting Ready
Finishing the morning routine from the driver’s seat has plenty of precedent.
A 2013 survey of 1,000 women found that 46% had applied makeup in the car, often while stopped at traffic lights or sitting in congestion.
Only 14% believed doing so affected their driving.
Lip gloss was the most commonly applied product, followed by mascara and lipstick.