Distracted Driving as the Leading Cause of Auto Accidents

Any time a driver on the road is paying attention to anything other than the road and the traffic around them, they are putting themselves, other motorists and pedestrians in danger. Although cell phone use and the practice of texting is in the news constantly as a cause of auto accidents, in truth there are plenty of other lower-tech distractions which cause as many, if not more, collisions. Consider the person who just spilled hot coffee in their lap or dropped something on the floor and bent down to pick it up—while driving. According to a study done by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, these two things are actually among the most common distractions drivers suffer. Still, cell phones are definitely a distraction—and a danger. Experts believe that those who regularly talk on their cell phone while driving are as much as four times as likely to have a car accident.

More Incidences of Distracted Driving

Unfortunately, our lives are so incredibly busy, that many people almost feel as though they live in their car. They eat breakfast in their car on their way to work, attempt to re-set the GPS, fiddle with the radio, and even put on makeup, shave and read while commuting to work. Parents find themselves turning around—while driving—to see what’s going on with the kids in the backseat, or attempting to put a bottle or pacifier into the mouth of a crying baby.  If you’ve ever passed a car where a woman was applying mascara, using the rear-view mirror, while navigating a busy city street, you probably were very alarmed—and with good reason. People who regularly eat in their car, also regularly spill, then their attention is completely consumed with cleaning up the mess from their clothing or the upholstery.

Types of Distractions

Generally speaking there are three main types of distractions, including visual, manual and cognitive. Visual distractions occur when you take your eyes from the road—most distractions tend to be visual in nature. Manual distractions occur when you physically remove your hands from the wheel of the vehicle, and mental or cognitive distractions happen when your mind is anywhere but on the task of driving.

Many forms of distractions encompass all three of these—if you are texting your husband while driving, you are visually distracted as you glance back and forth at the screen, manually distracted as you use your fingers to type, and cognitively distracted as your mind is on what you are texting rather than watching the road. If the kids are screaming in the back seat and you turn around to swat one of them, again, you have engaged in all three types of distraction—at the same time. Even daydreaming as you drive home from running errands can be a significant distraction, and can lead to an accident.

How Many Accidents are Caused by Distractions?

Because many people don’t want to admit they were applying makeup or texting when they crash into the car ahead of them, it’s hard to get solid statistics on just how many accidents are caused by distracted drivers. Research indicates that the number could be as high as fifty percent of all accidents being directly related to driver distraction—a number that truly boggles the mind. Teens especially are among the worst offenders for talking and texting while driving, although the newest phones have technology which actually shuts the phone down when it detects the motion of the vehicle.

Contacting an Attorney

If you’ve been injured in an accident due to a distracted driver, it’s important that you contact an attorney who can work aggressively to get you the settlement you need and deserve while you work on recovering from your accident and resulting injuries.