When Is Distracted Driving Most Likely to Lead to Car Accidents?

 Posted on January 26, 2022 in Car Accidents

Most people have busy lives, and it is understandable for a person to want to be able to complete multiple tasks at once, especially when they are engaged in routine activities that do not seem to require their full attention. However, multitasking while driving is not just a bad idea, but it can have deadly results. Distracted driving is one of the most dangerous practices that a driver can engage in, and it is far too common on the roads in the United States. These unsafe behaviors lead to thousands of fatal car accidents every year, as well as tens of thousands of non-fatal injuries. Drivers, passengers, or others who are injured by distracted drivers will want to understand their options for pursuing financial compensation that will address the damages they have suffered.

The Most Dangerous Types of Distracted Driving

While distracted driving can come in many forms, distractions that affect drivers can generally be grouped into three categories:

• Visual distractions - These include any actions that cause a driver to look away from the road. This can cause a driver to miss important details, such as vehicles that are approaching an intersection, cars that have slowed down in front of them, pedestrians that are attempting to cross the road, or obstacles in a lane of traffic. Inability to notice these details may not allow a person enough time to respond and avoid colliding with a vehicle, pedestrian, or obstacle.
• Manual distractions - These include situations where a person takes their hands off the steering wheel or takes other actions that cause them to not be in full control of their car. In these cases, a person’s reaction time will increase, since they will need additional time to regain control of their vehicle before they can react to conditions on the road. Even a split-second delay can affect a person’s ability to avoid a collision.
• Cognitive distractions - Failure to fully pay attention to the road can affect a person’s ability to notice important details and respond correctly to changing conditions. Attention that is diverted to other tasks will result in a narrowed field of vision and longer reaction times.

While each of these types of distractions can be deadly on their own, actions that combine multiple types of distractions are especially dangerous. For example, eating and drinking while driving will often require a person to look away from the road and use their hands to hold food and beverages.

In many cases, safety campaigns that discuss distracted driving focus on using cell phones or other electronic devices. These actions can be particularly dangerous since they will often involve all three types of distractions. When using a phone to make a call or send a text, a person will look away from the road and at the screen of their device, take at least one hand off the wheel to scroll through messages and type or enter a phone number, and focus their attention on the device rather than on the act of driving. As an example, sending a text message will usually take at least five seconds. If a person looks away from the road during this time while traveling at 55 miles per hour, they will cover the length of a football field, and they will likely require additional time to become aware of what is happening around them and resume full control of their car. These actions will significantly increase the chances that a person will be involved in a dangerous car accident that may result in serious injuries.

Contact Our Northbrook Distracted Driving Accident Attorneys

If you have been involved in an accident that you believe was caused by a distracted driver, Gruzmark Law, Ltd. can help you take steps to address your injuries and damages. We will gather evidence to show that the driver acted unsafely and was at fault for the collision, and we will work to ensure that you will receive the financial compensation you deserve. Contact our North Shore car accident lawyers today at 847-729-7660 to arrange a free consultation.

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/distracted_driving/index.html

https://www.iihs.org/topics/distracted-driving

https://www.ghsa.org/issues/distracted-driving