Cars are built stronger and safer every day, but you just can't cure stupid. Jalopnik readers know what we mean. They've seen other drivers doing some recklessly dumb stuff behind the wheel.
Welcome back to Answers of the Day — our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!
The government can mandate more airbags and car companies can give their products thicker steel crash structures, but if drivers are actively choosing to be this stupid, there's not much you can do for them. Honestly, if this list isn't a categorical support for driverless cars, we don't know what is.
Photo Credit: pinetrail/YouTube
10.) Flossing with plucked beard hair
Suggested By: Gowanus-saur
Why it's awful: Hipsters — they're an unexpected menace to Brooklyn drivers, now that we've seen one pluck a hair out of his beard and then floss with it.
Photo Credit: ChrisGoldNY
9.) Drinking
Suggested By: saabstory900
Why it's awful: Chances are he or she is pre-gaming, too. Think about the drive home.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
8.) Playing guitar
Suggested By: heltoupee
Why it's awful: Guitars are not one-handed instruments, nor are they small as reader heltoupee recognized on one highway drive.
Coming home from college one weekend, I was passing by Farmer City on I74 when I made to overtake a red 80's Chevy pickup. I thought it strange that the driver's left hand was sticking out the driver's window, apparently holding a large wooden object. As I came up next to him, I realized that this gentleman was driving his truck down the interstate, steering with his knees while playing a guitar. Obviously, there wasn't enough room in the cab, or the ergonomics were not correct to keep the entire guitar inside the vehicle, so he held the neck of the guitar out of the window as he fingered the chords.
Photo Credit: anymanjazz65
7.) Playing on your iPad
Suggested By: Malforus
Why it's awful: As computers get smaller and tablets get smarter, people stay as dumb as ever. Nobody really needs an iPad ever, let alone in the middle of a 70mph commute.
Photo Credit: Joe Shoe
6.) Putting on makeup
Suggested By: Kiwi_Commander
Why it's awful: Just because you do something every morning doesn't make it any less moronic. Using up your concentration to put makeup on right around your eyes (those things you use to see danger ahead) is unwise.
Photo Credit: NYCArthur
5.) Sticking your left leg out the window
Suggested By: OMG, TTA!
Why it's awful: There is no way you can react to something up ahead and avoid an accident with your left leg out of the window. Then, when the airbag goes off, you will be in a world of hurt.
Photo Credit: lilducky1357/YouTube
4.) Eating
Suggested By: frizzle
Why it's awful: It's one thing to eat a burger, or fries, or chips in a car. Those are one-handed foods. We've seen people drinking soup with a spoon. We have seen people pull out a knife and fork and start eating salad. One even crashed into one of our readers.
Photo Credit: three_pedals
3.) Reading
Suggested By: stuffelse
Why it's awful: Here's a great way to spice up your morning commute: when you're on the highway, just look away from the road. Stare down and don't even glance at what's coming up ahead. This is what you're doing when you read and drive. And reading is supposed to make you smarter.
Photo Credit: ssmmaa66/YouTube
2.) Masturbating
Suggested By: jbcustom
Why it's awful: Even before the advent of in-car DVD screens and smart phones, people were pulling out nudie mags and jerkin' it on the highway. File this under very distracted driving.
Photo Credit: kazamatsuri
1.) Having sex
Suggested By: Vacabck, minardi
Why it's awful: Normally we don't have anything against people getting creative when it comes to getting' down, but we do not approve of this kind of exhibitionism. Be careful who you watch, though; you never know who will tail you and pull a gun on you.
Have you seen anything worse on the highway than this? Tell your story in Kinja below.
Photo Credit: YouTube (NSFW)