Distracted Driving Common Among Drivers
More than 3,300 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes caused, related to or impacted by distracted driving in 2012, according to the Official U.S. Government Website for Distracted Driving. This number doesn’t include the close to half a million people injured in distraction-related car crashes that year. And many, if not all, of these deaths and injuries were preventable.
Such distracted driving is often a result of cell phone use, although distractions are defined as any activity that takes the driver’s attention away from driving for even a moment. These activities typically include texting, dialing or talking on a phone, as well as eating, drinking, putting on makeup or grooming, checking maps or navigation systems, glancing at a video or picture, fiddling with a music player, or even talking to a passenger.
While distracted driving is an issue among drivers of all ages, studies show that young drivers in their 20s make up more than a quarter of the distracted drivers that cause or are involved in fatal car crashes. Nearly every state — with the exception of Florida and four others — has outlawed texting while driving, but countless drivers still choose to ignore the law and take the risk. It is estimated that around 660,000 drivers are using cell phones, smart phones or other electronic devices, including navigation systems, at any time during the day, which is particularly alarming given the fact that engaging with such distractions triples your risk of getting into an accident.
This type of distracted driving is particularly dangerous as it requires the manual, cognitive and visual concentration of the driver all at once. Lifting your eyes off the road for even a few seconds means you won’t be prepared to handle the car safely if anything unexpected happens, such as poor road conditions, animals running into the road, another car accident, pedestrians crossing or even vehicular malfunctioning.
If you have been involved in an accident that was caused, related to or affected by distracted driving, get in touch with an injury lawyer from Salazar & Kelly Law Group, P.A. in Orlando.
