If you've thought that America's biggest distracted driving problem came down to teens who text while driving, you may want to take a closer look at the minivan driving next to you.

Driving with infants and children can be hard, very hard and it doesn't always improve when they reach elementary school. Parents have found themselves breaking up arguments, giving babies bottles, searching for dropped toys in the backseat, and handing out snacks like they're a flight attendant – all from the driver's seat!

Parents and Distracted Driving

Many parents have had to reach back to deflect a carsick child's vomit, while others have driven with their knees as they stopped a toddler from throwing a hard object across the car. The worst part is that many parents know not to text while driving, yet they still engage in dangerous behaviors when they drive with their kids.

Ever tried to drive with a screaming infant in the backseat? You can bet that your eyes (visual distraction) and your mind (cognitive distraction) won't be 100% on the road, let alone on the task of driving.

What about squabbling siblings? It can be an intense ride, whether the kids who are arguing are 3 and 5 or 8 and 10.

Common distractions involving kids, include:

• Breaking up fights
• Picking up a dropped bottle or binky
• Soothing a screaming infant
• Changing the DVD player
• Feeding children
• Crying children
• Objects being thrown inside the vehicle
• Children horsing around

It's no wonder distracted driving is a deadly epidemic. According to Kate Hollcraft, a spokesperson for Allstate Insurance, distracted driving is thought to cause 80 percent of all car accidents.

Parents of young children, beware, you're especially vulnerable to distractions. Research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that children are roughly four times more distracting than adult passengers, and babies make it eight times more difficult to concentrate.

If you were involved in an accident with a distracted driver, reach out to a car accident lawyer to file a claim for much-deserved compensation.