We are more reliant on our phones than ever before. At times it seems as if our phones have become an extension of ourselves. We are tied to them and most of us look at them frequently. Most of the time, this may not be ideal, but it’s fine. We use our phones to keep in touch with loved ones, do business, and stay informed.
The problems start to arise when we are incapable of putting down our phones and, as a result, risk lives. This is no exaggeration. People continue to text and drive despite knowing the dangers associated with this risky driving behavior. Perhaps people are not fully aware of just how dangerous texting while driving can be.
The Dangers of Texting While Driving
Distracted driving refers to anything that takes a driver’s attention away from the road and the task of driving. This includes everything from eating, messing with the radio, fiddling with the GPS, and, yes, texting while driving. In fact, texting while driving has become one of the most notorious and problematic forms of distracted driving.
It is important to realize that there are a number of ways a person can be distracted while driving. The distraction may be visual and involve the driver taking their visual attention away from the road. It may be an auditory distraction, which prevents the driver from paying attention to the noises outside the car, such as horns honking. There are mental distractions, which take a driver’s mental focus away from the task of driving. Also, there are distractions that take a driver’s hands off of the steering wheel so they are physically distracted from being able to safely operate their car.
How Does Texting Distract a Driver?
Texting while driving is a distraction on a number of levels:
- First, it takes a driver’s vision off of the road. Even a quick glance down at the phone screen can mean the driver has covered a significant amount of ground while not looking at the road, particularly if they are driving at higher speeds.
- Second, texting is a physical distraction as it takes at least one of the drivers hands off of the wheel to operate their phone. This means they have, at most, one hand on the steering wheel which does not allow the maximum level of control over the steering wheel and could make it easier for the driver to lose control of the wheel altogether.
- Third, texting is also a big mental distraction, which is really scary. Even when you take your eyes off of your phone, it will still take you several seconds to regain mental focus on the road. Every level of distraction brought on by texting while driving is scary.
When you think of the combined effects of all of the levels of distraction that occur due to texting while driving, it is no wonder why people are dying and getting seriously injured in accidents caused by those texting while driving each year.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney
Put down your phone while you drive and you might just save someone’s life. If you have been injured in an accident caused by someone texting while driving, the team at BoyesLegal, APC is here to hold them accountable for the harm they have caused. We fight for our clients to be fully compensated for their accident-related damages. Contact us today.