GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) - All this month on 11 News we're asking you to Just Drive. And to prove just how dangerous distracted driving can be, we’re going to test common distractions out on a state of the art driving simulator.

Studies show distracted driving is just as dangerous as drinking and driving. And every time you take your attention off the road, you increase your chances of getting in an accident. We used a driving simulator to drive home the point– Just Drive.

“It’s a driving simulator, but it’s very accurate. It’s like driving an actual car,” says Mike Miller, former driving instructor and Colorado State Trooper.

First we drove without any distractions.

“This is very sensitive to steering and you did very well keeping it in the lane,” says Miller.

Next we tried texting while driving, which took the difficulty level up a few notches.

“You scores went way off. You were over the speed limit ten times. You ran off the road ten times,” says Miller.

We couldn’t forget talking on the phone.

“You ran off the road. I believe that one was eight times. And you were over the speed limit eight times. In fact at one point you maxed out,” says Miller.

Lastly we tried something many women are guilty of, putting on mascara while driving.

“You were all over the road and you ran into the car in front of you,” says Miller.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, dialing a cell phone increases the risk of a car accident or near car accident by 2.8 times, talking on a cell phone by 1.3 times and putting on makeup 3.1 times.

“At the speed limit today, at 75 miles per hour, you’re traveling over 100 feet per second. If your eyes leave the road for a second, you’ve already traveled over 100 feet by the time you look up,” says Miller.

And remember a slight distraction could change your life or another's forever. So next time you take your eyes or attention off the road, think, is it worth it?