Distracted Driving Still a Major Problem in 2014

Distracted Driving Remains a Threat

As a new year begins, it is important to highlight yet again how distracted driving still poses a significant threat to other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, in 2013, 3,328 people were killed in collisions as a result of a distracted driver. Sadly, whether people want to admit it or not, most partake in distracted driving behaviors on a daily basis. Distracted driving encompasses any activity that diverts a driver’s attention away from the road. The most common form of distraction to drivers comes from cell phones.

Cell Phones Are The Leading Cause of Driver Distraction

When you use a cell phone while driving, even if using a hands-free device, you are four times more likely to be involved in a collision, according to the National Safety Council. In fact, cell phones are responsible for approximately 25 percent of all auto accidents. And it is not just talking on a cell phone that is a problem – texting while driving is a very dangerous behavior. The National Safety Council notes that the average driver takes his or her eyes off the road for 4.6 seconds to send or read a text message.

If that doesn’t scare you enough, when the average driver averts their eyes from the roadway to text for that 4.6 seconds while travelling at speeds of 55 miles per hour, they have traveled the length of an entire football field. When put in these terms, it seems like a no-brainer that we should all put our cell phones down and refrain from texting while driving.

Types of Distractions Behind the Wheel

Distracted driving isn’t limited to cell phone use. It also includes actions like adjusting the radio, eating, drinking, or applying makeup. Talking to passengers, checking on kids, or using a GPS can also take your focus off the road.

While these activities may seem harmless, they place you and others sharing the roadway with you at an increased risk for becoming involved in a collision. By allowing yourself to become distracted while driving, you are more likely to break simple traffic rules like driving through a red light or stop sign, speeding, failing to use your blinker, making an illegal U-turn, stopping short, and the list just goes on.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies three main types of driving distractions:

• Visual: taking your eyes off the road
• Manual: taking your hands off the wheel
• Cognitive: taking your mind off driving

Many people assume distraction only involves looking at your phone, but there are numerous actions that fall into these categories.

Injured by a Distracted Driver? We Can Help You

We all can be responsible drivers. As 2014 begins, let’s all do our part to minimize distractions, thereby avoiding unnecessary collisions. However, some accidents are simply unavoidable.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident caused by a distracted or otherwise negligent driver in Inverness, Crystal River, Dunnellon, Homosassa, or the surrounding area, please call a Citrus County Auto Accident Lawyer at Whittel & Melton today at 352-726-0078 or contact us online for a free case evaluation.