As technology has made advancements and people’s lives become busier, distracted driving has increased. Texting and driving has increased which has become enough of a problem to be illegal in some states. Rushed morning commutes to work have caused people to eat breakfast and finishing their morning grooming in the car. All of these seem like minor distractions to a driver, but they are terribly dangerous for drivers and they don’t even realize it.
The effects of distracted driving
Virginia Tech did a study on how long a person is taking their eyes off of the road in order to send a text message on their phone. The average time is 5 seconds that a person’s eyes are off of the road while texting. If they are going 55 miles per hour that ends up being the length of a football field worth of driving without looking.
Distracted driving is more than texting though. It can include:
- Eating
- Using technology
- Other passengers in the car
- Grooming
- Smoking
- And more!
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention studied that about 10 people a day die from distracted driving.
Types of distracted driving
Other passengers in the car can cause a driver to take attention away from the road. From conversation with another passenger to a crying child in the backseat, other passengers can be very distracting to the driver of a car.
Eating and drinking in the car requires the driver to take their hand off of the wheel in order to eat. If you spill the food on yourself while driving, you are more likely to take your eyes off of the road to focus on this, which causes for additional danger.
Grooming is common for men and women going somewhere and needing to look nice. It also happens when drivers get in a hurry to leave the house in the morning and don’t have the time to groom before leaving. From fixing one’s makeup to styling one’s hair, grooming is extremely distracting for a driver.
Cell phones are the most obvious distraction because many people want to text and drive or take a phone call while driving. Even hands free devices are dangerous because it still requires, a person to be mentally and visually focused on the phone instead of the road. This also applies to the use of navigation systems and the radio.
Drivers in Las Vegas need to be extra careful when driving because of the heavy amount of traffic the area can see, and because of all of the tempting distractions that driver’s need to avoid until they reach their destination. Distracted driving has become an issue and the reason for many lawsuits. If you’ve been a victim of distracted driving, contact the car accident attorneys at Hunt Law Offices for a free legal consultation today.
Photo Source – U.S. Army