How scary is this.... according to a recent poll by PR Newswire for Distracted Driving Month found one in seven people have fallen asleep behind the wheel before.

There are roughly 20,000 car accidents every year in Montana. And most of these are simple distracted driving mistakes that are completely preventable.

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Does Montana Have Laws against Distracted Driving? The answer is No.

Montana is the only state in the US that does not have any statewide laws against distracted driving. But some cities and counties in this state have enacted their own laws against this risky behavior. It is illegal to text while driving in Butte-Silver Bow and Anaconda-Deer Lodge counties as well as in the other Montana cities:

Baker
Billings
Bozeman
Columbia Falls
Great Falls
Hamilton
Helena
Missoula
Whitefish

While some of these cities also restrict the use of handheld cell phones while driving.

The top things we do to stay alert are drink something with caffeine and crank the radio.

1. Drink something with caffeine. 63% do it when feeling tired behind the wheel.

2. Crank the RADIO, 62%. The sound of other voices will help keep you alert.

3. Roll down that window or blast your A/C, 58%.

4. Talk to someone on the phone, 28%. 59% said they DO pull over to rest sometimes, which is what you SHOULD do. (Erie Insurance)

The three main types of distractions are:

Manual: anything that causes you to take your hands off the wheel, like eating, smoking, or reaching for an object
Visual: anything that causes you to take your eyes off the road, like looking at a GPS, checking your hair in the review mirror, or looking at kids in the backseat
Cognitive: anything that causes you to take your mind off the task of driving, like having a conversation with your passengers, going over your to-do list in your head, or just simply daydreaming.

Every type of distraction increases your risk of committing a moving violation or causing an accident. In Montana, distracted driving, though hazardous, is still totally legal.