Drivers have a duty to do what it takes to keep people on the roadways safe. While some of these drivers may believe that they can safely multitask while they drive, that’s never the case. Distracted driving is one cause of crashes that’s fully preventable if drivers make the choice to give their full attention to driving.
The issue is that many people don’t realize that they’re succumbing to distracted driving, which is a major problem. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that anything that takes the driver’s attention away from driving is a distraction.
Distinct forms of distractions
There are three specific forms of distractions that the CDC recognizes. These include:
- Manual distractions: Taking hands off the wheel
- Visual distractions: Taking eyes off the road
- Cognitive distractions: Taking thoughts off driving
Many activities that a driver does while driving can include more than one of those forms. Think about texting while driving, which is more common than many people realize. The driver has to reach for their phone, which is a manual distraction. They have to look at the phone to see what was said, which is a visual distraction. They have to think about what the message says and their response, which is a cognitive distraction.
Using a phone isn’t the only distraction that can have a negative impact on the driver’s ability to drive. Other common distractions include eating, drinking, changing the audio, adjusting the temperature and speaking to other passengers.
When a distracted driver causes a crash, the victims may need considerable medical care, which is costly. Those victims may opt to pursue a compensation claim. The time to do this is limited. Working with someone familiar with these matters may be beneficial for them.