Distracted Drivers Cause Serious Car Accidents

We live in a fast paced society that often requires the use of multi-tasking to keep up with day-to-day activities. As a result, many of us make our phone calls while we drive, eat our breakfast on the way to work and even finish personal grooming before we arrive at our destination. There are even the few drivers who will get behind the wheel even when they are extremely tired. All of these distractions increase the risk of being in a serious car accident.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, there were 214,914 injuries caused by traffic crashes in 2006. That same year, 3,365 were killed in auto accidents in Florida. How many of these injuries and deaths could have been prevented if the driver had not been distracted?

A driver distraction has been defined as “attention given to a non-driving-related activity, typically to the detriment of driving performance.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute conducted a study hat monitored the behavior of 241 drivers in 100 vehicles for more than a year. The study found that about 80 percent of traffic accidents and 65 percent of near accidents occurred within 3 seconds of some type of driver distraction.

Researchers discovered that approximately 1 in 3 drivers who participated in the study were involved in a car accident. Each driver had an average of 3 near accidents. The drivers who were studied traveled a total of 2 million miles and were involved in 82 auto accidents and 761 near accidents.

There are many forms of driver distraction, such as talking on a cell phone, sending text messages, turning to look at a passenger and reaching for an object inside the vehicle. The study revealed that when drivers read, apply makeup or dial on their cell phones, the risk of causing an auto accident nearly tripled. Researchers also discovered that when a driver reached for a moving object while driving, the chances of a crash increased by nine times.

Drowsiness was also a major factor of driver inattention. Driving while drowsy was a contributing factor to 22 to 24 percent of the crashes and near crashes among the drivers studied.

This study reiterates the importance of paying attention while driving. If more people kept their focus on the road, chances are the number of serious auto accidents would greatly decrease.

If you have been injured in an auto accident caused by a distracted driver in Florida, contact the Law Offices of William K. Saron at (866) 836-4947 for expert legal advice.