It would be virtually impossible to learn anything about car accidents today without also reading about and learning about distracted driving. This is because it has become one of the leading causes not just of car accidents but of serious injuries in car accidents. The truth is that while you might think of distracted driving like texting, there are other types of distracted driving.
Keep reading to learn what they are. If you are injured in a car accident, and someone else was responsible for that accident, then we urge you to contact The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 to learn about legal options to hold them accountable.
- Visual Distractions
- Manual Distractions
- Cognitive Distractions
The first type of distracted driving, and the one that most people think of when they think of distracted driving, is visual distraction. This means taking your eyes off the road, whether to look at your phone, change the radio station, put on a different podcast, or to look at the world around you. It is important that if you are driving, it is your top priority and you are not getting visually distracted by anything.
This involves physically removing your hands from the wheel. You might see people do this to light a cigarette, to change the radio station, to eat while driving, or to grab something from the backseat. They often try to “drive” with their knee or leg, but this is obviously very unsafe. Not only can they not react and turn quickly if an emergency occurs, but they are not paying attention to the road.
If you take your mind off driving, even if you are looking at the road with your hands on the wheel, then you are putting yourself and everyone else on the road at risk. If you are on the phone, even if it is a hands-free device, then you are not giving driving your full attention.
Texting Involves All Three Types of Distraction
With so many types of distraction, you might wonder why there is so often a focus on texting and driving. The answer is simple: texting involves all three. You must take your eyes off the road to read a text and to respond to it, you must take your hands off the wheel to respond to the text, and you are certainly cognitively distracted if you are thinking about how to respond.
Have You Been Injured in a Car Accident?
If you have been injured in a car accident in which another party was driving while distracted or was otherwise driving unsafely, then we urge you to contact The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 for a free legal consultation. We can go over all the options so that you know what your next legal move is.
