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Four Common Causes of Distracted Driving
When the term “distracted driving” is discussed, it’s often associated with texting and driving or other cell phone use. However, many other actions can become distracting when behind the wheel, and these often go overlooked. These distractions can be classified as manual, visual, or cognitive depending on if they take your hands off the wheel, eyes off the road, or attention off the task at hand. Here are four you should keep in mind.
#1: Passengers
Communicating with your passengers or even attending to children in the vehicle can fall into any distraction classification. It’s common for people to make eye contact or turn towards people they are conversing with and doing this while driving could increase risks of a crash. When having passengers in your vehicle, ensure that they are respecting your attention being on the road and are not influencing your ability to drive.
#2 Eating & Drinking
Although eating and drinking while driving seems like an easy task that requires little thought, it is one of the most overlooked distractions. Since it requires you to take your eyes or hands off the road at some point, even for a brief amount of time, it could decrease reaction times.
#3 Adjusting Radio & Temperature Controls Is A Form of Distracted Driving
It is always ideal to pick a playlist or radio station and the climate in your vehicle before you start driving because doing so mid-trip can take your eyes and hands off the wheel. Some people may even scroll through multiple radio stations or be typing to search for a song on their phone, increasing the time spent with your attention off the road.
#4. Daydreaming
Have you ever been in a “highway trance” or got lost in thought and didn’t realize how far you had traveled without thinking about it? Daydreaming is considered one of the most dangerous actions and contributed to the most distracted driving-related crashes in 2019. When daydreaming, it is much easier to lose concentration and make more mistakes behind the wheel that could have potentially fatal consequences.
The Lawyers That Listen at Chatham Gilder Howell Pittman are here to help ensure that the road is a safer place for all individuals by holding negligently distracted drivers accountable for causing others harm. If you need legal assistance for a car accident claim, call (662) 222-0597 to schedule a consultation with our team today.
