You’re driving down the road with your family when you stop at a light. You take a moment to look at your rear view mirror and notice that the person braking behind you has their hands and eyes fixed on texting something from their phone. The person looks up just in time to avoid rear-ending you. Automatically, your red flag is signaled and you decide to switch lanes as soon as traffic starts to move to give that person space in case they cause an accident.
The average driver spends more than half of his or her time focused on things besides driving. There’s no wonder why you and I feel incredibly unsafe and threatened by latent drivers. Federal estimates suggest 16% of all fatal collisions are caused by this reckless behavior.
What causes distracted driving?
The biggest distractions to most drivers are texting, emails and uploading music from electronic devices. Other distractors include passengers, eating and in car-technologies.
Why is this dangerous?
Distraction “latency” lasts 27 seconds on average, according to the AAA Foundation. This means that even after drivers transition their attention back to the road after putting their phone away, they are still not fully engaged with the task of driving. Imagine the amount of damage that can be done within 27 seconds!
What group of drivers are most impaired by distraction?
Teenagers. During an in-car study conducted by the AAA Foundation, teen drivers were found to be distracted almost a quarter of the time they were on the roadways.
If you have been in an accident caused by a distracted driver, you have the right to be fairly compensated for the recklessness of another. Parvey & Cavenago’s personal injury attorneys specialize in evaluating claims with distracted drivers. Call Parvey & Cavenago for a FREE consultation today!
