Drivers are taught to always pay attention to the road, but some think that they can multitask while they’re behind the wheel. The truth is that any distraction while driving can lead to a catastrophic or fatal injury.
An average of nine deaths each day in this country are attributable to distracted driving. Hundreds of thousands more people suffer injuries because of it. When you consider those points, it’s easy to understand why drivers should avoid distractions when they’re behind the wheel.
3 types of distractions
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes three distinct types of distractions that drivers face:
- Manual distractions that involve the hands
- Cognitive distractions that involve the mind
- Visual distractions that involve the eyes
Some distractions that drivers face fall solely into one of those three categories. Others may include two of them or all of them.
Duration of distraction
It’s easy to think that a quick distraction won’t hurt. However, a vehicle that’s traveling at 55 miles per hour can go an entire football field length in just five seconds. That’s the average time that it takes to read a text message. This is more than enough time and distance for a serious crash to occur.
Victims of distracted driving crashes can suffer catastrophic injuries, including brain or spinal cord injuries. However, all types of injuries that occur in these cases should receive emergency medical care, even if a person doesn’t believe that they have serious injury.
Victims may decide that they’re going to seek compensation for the economic and non-economic losses they experience as a result of an accident cause by a distracted driver. This is a time-sensitive matter that can be complex, so it may be best to get experienced legal guidance as early as possible.