Most people focus on cell phone and electronic usage when considering why distracted driving accidents have risen so much in recent years. However, a new study shows that having children in the car is actually more dangerous than cellphone use. Keep reading to get the facts and then contact The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 if you need a free legal consultation after a car accident.
A Child’s Needs Cannot Always Be Ignored
No parent is likely to knowingly or purposely put their child in harm’s way, yet it happens all the time when a parent tends to their child in the back seat while the vehicle is in motion. It is easy to simply tell mothers to wait to address their children, but in some cases their needs are essential and cannot be ignored
The Details of a Study Completed by the National Highway Transportation Safety Association
The NHTSA created a survey in which 36% of parents said that they are often distracted by their children in the backseat of their car 13% said that they do interact with their children while driving but do it rarely. About half say that they never interact with their children while they are driving. The survey also showed that 74% of parents claimed to never read emails or texts, nearly 79% said they do not send texts or emails, 80% said they never groom while driving, and more than 96% said they never read a book while driving.
If this survey is accurate, then it would seem that most drivers work to avoid obvious distractions but may not pay attention to less obvious distractions, such as their children in the car while they are driving. This is more than a mistake – it is a potentially deadly mistake.
An Australian Study Found Even More Surprising Results
An Australian university did their own study and the outcome was not good: They found that children in the car were 12 times as distracting as a phone. The study looked at how often parents took their eyes off the road. They found that when children are in the car they did not have their eyes on the road for an average of about 3 ½ minutes during a 16-minute trip.
The study found that the most common reason parents were not looking at the road was to watch their child in the rear-view mirror – more than 75%. About 16% of the time they were taking their eyes from the road to engage in conversation, 7% involved helping the child, and 1% was the result of the parent playing with their child.
It is never wise to take your eyes off the road – even for a few seconds. If you end up in an accident and need to talk to a personal injury attorney who can help you determine if you have grounds for a case, contact The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 for a free case evaluation.
