Distracted driving. How others are putting your life at risk

When we travel in the car, we do so with safety in mind. We wear our seatbelts, we ensure all passengers are buckled in or belted up, we check our mirrors, pull away slowly and always drive as diligently as possible.

Sadly, not every driver is as attentive and as conscientious as you are, and it may trouble you to know that accidents caused by distracted driving cause huge amounts of damage and cost thousands of lives every single year. Being caught up in an accident that wasn’t your fault can change your life, you could be left with injuries that mean you can no longer work or provide for your family, you may suffer from mental health issues as a direct result of the trauma you’ve experienced and you could even find yourself in debt with out of control medical bills.

It’s safe to say, that one moment of distraction for one driver, can cause potentially years of heartache and pain for the other. Speak to this car accident lawyer from Fort Lauderdale immediately if you’ve been in a car accident that wasn’t your fault.

Here we’ll explore the different types and causes of distracted driving, and how other road users could be putting your life at risk.

Using the phone

Making or taking a phone call whilst you’re driving is illegal. Why? Because when you’re on the phone, drivers cannot give their full attention to the road ahead, not forgetting that holding your phone up to your ear means you don’t have full control of the vehicle. Some states advocate the use of Bluetooth devices, however, in most states they’re illegal.

But we don’t just use our phones to make calls anymore, we text, direct message, check our emails, our calendars, use the GPS, check social media, take photographs, stream movies, watch YouTube and even handle our banking all from the palm of our hands. It’s this convenience and temptation to look at our devices that make them so deadly behind the wheel.

Passengers

Crying babies, cross toddlers, siblings fighting or drunk friends. Passengers can be dangerously distracting. If a driver is too busy trying to pacify their hungry baby whilst driving down the freeway then they’re less likely to spot potential hazards and other road users in time.

Adjusting anything in the vehicle

The GPS, the radio dial, the skip button on your playlist or even the air con – if you’re fiddling around with buttons and dials, then you’re not looking at the road ahead. Road conditions can change in an instant, so keeping your eyes on the road is essential to keep yourself and other road users safe.

Eating and drinking

Tilting your head to drink that hot coffee you just picked up from the drive-through or eating your breakfast on the way to work could prove to be life-changing. Eating or drinking behind the wheel is distracting and you simply can’t do both, no matter how good at multitasking you think you are.

Final thoughts…

If you’ve been in a car accident caused by distracted driving or due to another form of negligence, reach out to a PI lawyer, right now.