Distracted driving causes more than 3,000 deaths in just the United States, so we need to do what we can to stop it. The first thing we must do is let everyone know exactly what distracted driving is so that they can avoid it along with legal courses they can take to combat it.
What Is Considered a Distraction While Driving?
A distraction while driving is anything that takes your focus off of driving. The following are some of the top distractions while driving:
Your Cell Phone
If you use a cell phone while you are driving, you have a 23% increased risk of being in a collision. Hands-free phones have been suggested as an alternative, but they do not make it any safer. The hands-free device reduces your reaction time and impairs your situational awareness. It has been compared to being 0.08% intoxicated while driving!
Food and Drink
This is a common practice, but one study found that eating or drinking while driving leads to a 1.57 times increase in the likelihood of a crash. Handling your food or drink requires at least one hand, so both hands cannot be on the wheel. If you must eat or drink, pull over to the side of the road first.
External Distractions
It can be hard if not impossible to be oblivious to the world around you, but research has shown that accidents, other vehicles and billboards increase the risk of a collision. Do your best to keep your eyes ahead of you although there may be many things around you to grab your attention.
What to Do Legally if You Are in a Distracted Driving Accident
In order to file a claim against a distracted driver, you must prove that the other driver’s distracted driving is responsible for the collision. You can do this by obtaining the following:
A Police Report
After a collision, you must call the police. When the officer arrives, he or she will write a report. The officer will record all of the evidence in the case.
The Driver’s Cell Phone Records
You must hire a personal injury attorney so that your attorney can subpoena the at-fault driver’s cell phone records. This evidence is highly important because it will show that the driver was on his or her phone at the time of the collision.
Gather Forensic Evidence
Your attorney will have expert investigators who will investigate the scene of the collision. Evidence to prove distracted driving may be a food wrapper or the phone at the feet of the driver.
Distracted Driving Tips to Know About
It Takes 3 Seconds.
In a 2006 study, researchers found that 80% of crashes caused by a distracted driver occurred three seconds after the distraction took the driver’s eyes away from the road.
It Can Be Hard to Prove Someone Was Distracted.
Since not all distractions remain in one place, it can be hard to prove that a driver was distracted by something that is no longer in his or her line of sight. Other types of distractions are easier, such as talking on a cell phone. This is the reason that you need to hire a personal injury attorney even if it is obvious who caused the collision.