Car Accident Lawyer
It’s easy to get distracted in the world of today, but when that distraction is taking place while you’re behind the wheel, the results can be devastating. In 2018, there were 2,841 deaths in America due to distracted driving. One death is too many, so nearly 3,000 is far too many. When you get behind the wheel, be sure your focus is on the road at all times.
What Is Considered Distracted Driving?
Anything that causes you to divert your attention from the task of driving could be considered distracted driving. This could include any of the following activities.
- Talking on the phone
- Texting
- Engaging in conversation with your passengers
- Changing the radio station
- Resetting your navigation system
- Eating or drinking
- Putting on makeup
- Taking care of your kids in the back seat
Why Are These Things Dangerous?
There’s a chance you’ve already done one or more of these activities while driving in the past. It’s common for someone to change the radio station while driving, but that doesn’t make it safe. If you’re behind the wheel and get distracted, the results can be deadly.
Take texting and driving, for example. The typical text takes five seconds to send or read. If your eyes are off the road for that five seconds while driving 55 miles per hour, you’ve just driven the length of a football field without looking. There’s a lot that could happen within that distance in just a short amount of time. You could hit a pole, hit a person, hit another car or miss a turn and go over a ledge. It’s simply not safe, so you shouldn’t do it.
What Can You Do?
If you’re driving the car, your full focus should always be on the task of driving. If you want to listen to the radio, set the station before you get going. Make a rule to keep your phone at home if you have to drive somewhere, but if you must bring the phone with you, turn it on silent and set it in the back seat.
If you are traveling during mealtime hours, consider pulling over or stopping to dine-in somewhere instead of eating while driving. As you can see, there are a lot of preventative measures you can take so you never have to drive distracted.
Receiving Legal Assistance
If you were injured in a car accident by a driver who was distracted, you may be entitled to compensation. If you were the distracted driver, you could need legal assistance to help protect yourself. Contact a car accident attorney, like David & Philpot, P.L., to learn more.
