The United States Department of Transportation reports that in 3,328 people were killed in crashes caused by a distracted driver in 2012, up from 3,360 in 2011. The department also reports that 421,000 people were injured in crashes involving distracted driving.

With all the dangers on the road, it’s a wonder more people don’t stay home. We know that’s not going to happen, but here are a few drivers that are out there on the roads and a must to avoid:

1)    Texters: Many driving experts consider texting the worst possible sin of driving because it involves so many elements of distraction, including holding the phone, looking down, composing the note and the mechanics of actually sending it. That requires a lot of inattention to what’s going on ahead of you, and because the reaction time for a vehicle traveling at even relatively slow speeds is simply a few seconds, it has the biggest potential for danger.

2)    The Weaver – This is usually someone in a big hurry to get where they’re going or is simply impatient at the lack of progress on a busy day. The Weaver moves from lane to lane, often without signaling his or her intentions and can initiate unexpected braking from other vehicles when he or she jumps in front of the line.

3)    The Speeder – We’ve all seen or been this driver, but speeding becomes particularly dangerous when heavy urban traffic with frequent stops and starts is the forum for this driver’s activities. It takes 20 feet to stop a car going 20 miles per hour, but it takes 80 feet to stop one going 40 miles per hour. The energy of a moving car is proportional to its mass times the square of its velocity, for those physics majors playing along at home. Simply put, you need to keep a safe distance between you and the car in front because it will take longer than you think to stop, particularly if your brakes are not in top condition.