(Newswire.net — August 27, 2020) — There are a lot of dangerous driving behaviours that can potentially lead to accidents. Speeding, driving while intoxicated, and driving while fatigued are some of the more well-known ones. Texting while driving is another infamous kind of driving behavior that is becoming far more prevalent. Texting while driving falls under the umbrella of distracted driving, a particularly insidious form of behaviour because it is negligent, shortsighted, dangerous, and reckless.
That is why people who were in accidents caused by texting are eligible to receive compensation to cover any expenses caused by the accident. Those expenses could include medical bills, repair bills, and lost wages. In order to receive that compensation, the accident victim will need the aid of an experienced car accident attorney. The attorney can calculate how much compensation the accident victim is owed and negotiate with the insurance company of the negligent driver to get it. So be sure to contact an attorney as soon as possible if you have been in an accident caused by someone who was texting while they were driving.
The Reason Texting and Driving is Dangerous
As stated earlier, texting while driving is one of the distracted driving behaviours. These can also include eating while driving, grooming while driving, speaking to a passenger, or fiddling with the dashboard. Distracted driving is divided into three different types:
- Manual Distractions – These are distractions that involve the driver taking their hands off the steering wheel.
- Visual Distractions – These distractions involve the driver taking their eyes off the road.
- Cognitive Distractions – This is when the driver’s attention is not focused on the task of operating their vehicle.
You can see why each of those distractions can be dangerous and possibly lead to an accident. They each limit the driver’s response times and distract them from paying attention to what is happening on the road ahead of them. Texting while driving is dangerous because it combines all three types of behaviour in one action.
The driver needs to take their hands off the wheel and their eyes off the road when they are looking at their phone. Plus their attention is focused on what they are typing rather than on the task of driving. That means they are at a far greater risk of getting into an accident since none of their attention is focused on driving their car. This does not only put the driver and anyone else in the car at risk; it is a risk for everyone else on the road as well.
Texting and Driving Statistics
There are a lot of sobering statistics that highlight just how dangerous texting while driving can actually be. Here are some of them:
- According to the National Safety Council (NSC), texting while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes per year.
- Texting while driving is six times more likely to cause an accident than drunk driving.
- If you are traveling at 55 MPH and take your eyes off the road for just five seconds while texting, you can travel the length of a football field.
- Texting while driving increases the time spent with your eyes off the road by 400%.
- Almost 390,000 injuries each year are caused by texting while driving.
The Dangers Are Clear: Do Not Text and Drive
By now it should be as clear as day that texting while driving is a highly dangerous activity that should not be done at all costs. That is because there is a very high likelihood that it could end in an accident, and if it does, then the driver who was texting will be in serious trouble. If you were in an accident that was caused by a driver who was texting, then you should contact a personal injury lawyer. They will hold the driver accountable and do their best to ensure that you get the compensation you need to take care of the expenses caused by the irresponsible and negligent behaviour of the texting driver.