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The Dangers of Distracted Driving

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than nine people are killed and over 1,000 people injured each day in car accidents that involved a distracted driver. With such startling numbers of distracted driving accidents, understanding distracted driving and the associated risk factors could mean the difference between life and death.

Types of Distracted Driving

Distracted driving can be broken down into three main types: visual, manual, and cognitive. Visual distracted driving occurs when a driver simply takes their eyes off the road, whether checking their phone or turning to talk to a passenger. Manual distracted driving occurs when a driver takes their hands off the steering wheel. Often the driver is eating, putting on makeup, or changing the radio station. Cognitive distracted driving happens when the driver takes their mind off driving. This includes talking on a hands-free mobile device or simply failing to focus on the road.

Distracted Driving Risk Factors

One of the most dangerous types of distraction while driving is texting, because it combines all three types of distraction. One-third of drivers between the ages of 18 and 64 admit to texting while driving. Young drivers under the age of 20 are particularly susceptible to texting while driving, even more so if they are male.

While eating might seem to be a more innocuous form of distracted driving, it can be just as dangerous as texting while driving. It involves taking at least one hand off the wheel and often takes the driver’s mind off the road. The most dangerous part about eating while driving is that many people do not believe it impedes their driving, encouraging them to continue to eat and drive.

Hands-free calling and voice to text are often cited as safer alternatives to texting while driving, but each still poses its own risk. While the driver’s hands might be on the wheel and their eyes on the road, the mind is elsewhere when talking on the phone while driving, thus keeping the driver distracted.

Texas Lawyers for Distracted Driving Accidents

If you or someone you love has been injured in a motor vehicle accident involving distracted driving, it will be necessary to deal with the responsible parties and their insurance companies, all of whom will try to pay you as little as possible. That’s why you need the experience legal team of The Gutierrez Law Firm on your side, to get you the compensation you deserve for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other recoverable losses you may have experienced. Contact The Gutierrez Law Firm today so that we can evaluate your case and help protect your rights.

Sources: https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/distracted_driving/