While driving, you need to look out for many hazards. Sometimes, risks inside a driver’s vehicle significantly increase the likelihood of a collision, such as a ringing phone or other passengers. Distracted driving is deadly and even if you avoid all distractions (which many drivers struggle with at some point), other drivers could cause a collision leaving you or one of your family members seriously hurt.
It is important for all road users, including pedestrians and bicyclists, to review common distractions and develop a better understanding of the scope of the problem.
How do drivers become distracted?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provides an overview of distracted driving on their website. Drivers lose their attention for various reasons, whether a passenger tries to talk to them in the vehicle, they send or receive messages on their phone, try to eat food or adjust the volume of music they are listening to. In addition to taking their hands off of the wheel, drivers sometimes lose mental focus because of stressors in their lives. Sadly, even very brief distractions increase the odds of a collision and these accidents shatter many lives.
How many people die and suffer injuries in distracted driving crashes?
During 2018, over 2,840 people lost their lives in accidents that involved a distracted driver. Moreover, the NHTSA estimates that 400,000 people suffered injuries in crashes that involved a distracted driver in 2018 alone. When a driver takes his or her eyes off the road for a few seconds, they sometimes travel very far, especially at high speeds. Distracted drivers must answer for their behavior when they cause accidents that leave victims injured or killed.
