An Indy 500 racer gave us tips for being a better driver

Graham Rahal is 27 years old, comes from a racing family, married a drag racer, and will be in the field for this year's Indy 500 at the end of May.

It will be his eighth time at the Brickyard. His best finish thus far was a third in 2011. He's racing for the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team. (The Rahal is his dad, Bobby, who won the Indy 500 in 1986. The Letterman is Indiana native and racing nut David Letterman.)

Graham has been around fast cars his entire life. So he knows a thing or two about how be a better driver.

"Be more aware," he told Business Insider, succinctly.

"There are so many distractions now," he added. "You have to pay attention."

He's right, of course. America is dealing with an epidemic of distracted driving, as devices and infotainment systems compete for attention in cars, taking our hands off the wheel and our eyes off the road. It doesn't take long for these behaviors to lead to tragedy. A crash can happen in just a few seconds.

Rahal also said that drivers should respect what he called "lane protocol."

"People don't focus," he said. "And they don't understand lane protocol. The left lane is for passing, the center lane is for cruising, and the right lane is for slower traffic."

So there. If you want to be a better driver, follow a simple rule: Focus.

And get in the correct lane!