DISTRACTIONS WHILE DRIVING CAUSE ACCIDENTS AND INJURY
Written by gary on July 11th, 2010
Being distracted while driving is extremely dangerous and can cause acccidents, personal injury and property damage.
Drivers who use hand-held devices such as I-phones or I-pods are four times as likely to get into crashes that result in injuries both to themselves and others. What about the hands-free set-ups? Well, even multi-tasking with them while driving could cause a serious mishap.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation there are three main types of distractions:
- Visual- taking your eyes of the road
- Manual- taking your hands off the wheel
- Cognitive- taking your mind off what you are doing
Distracted driving isn’t just about phone calls or texting. There are other activities that take your attention away from traffic leading to accidents. Here are some examples:
- Adjusting a navigation system
- Eating
- Grooming
- Reading
- Retrieving a dropped item
Nearly half the U.S. States have restrictions against activities that cause driving distractions. Some states ban phone use in construction zones and school zones. Others place restrictions on novice drivers and operators of commercial vehicles including large trucks and school buses. You can research the laws in your state by visiting www.distraction.gov.
So, the next time you reach for the phone or i-pod while driving, answer this question: Is This Call Or Song Important Enough To Risk Hurting Someone, Or Can It Wait?…
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Great site. A lot of useful information here. I’m sending it to some friends!