How to Avoid the Deadly Consequences of Distracted Driving

Driving busy highways and roads, especially during peak rush hours periods, is dangerous enough even when you are devoting your full attention.

21:59 09 August 2024

Driving busy highways and roads, especially during peak rush hours periods, is dangerous enough even when you are devoting your full attention to the task. But add distracted driving to the mix and the results can potentially be deadly. Taking your eyes off the road for even a second or two can lead to any number of vehicular accidents that can leave you and your passengers suffering serious injuries. 

One thing is for certain, if you find yourself the victim of a car accident, you need to contact the most reputable attorney you can find. Says the experts at Neufeld & Kleinberg, an Aventura car accident lawyer, you might not consider the necessity of a lawyer when faced with a challenging situation. But if you’ve suffered serious injuries due to another’s negligence on the busy streets of your community, you need to seek out the financial compensation you deserve.

But the point is not to get into a car wreck in the first place. This means avoiding all forms of distracted driving. But this is easier said than done. According to a recent report by Psychology Today, an estimated eight people per day are killed in the U.S. by distracted drivers. While it’s true this is a dangerous problem that involves all drivers, young people are said to be disproportionally responsible. 

Around 25 percent of the distracted drivers who get into car wrecks are in their 20s. Teen drivers are even more likely to be involved in a bad accident caused by driving while distracted.

Three Ways to Become Distracted

Because distracted driving is so prevalent in society, there is said to be a large body of evidence that illustrates what’s going on behind the wheel and how it can be fixed. States the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there are essentially three ways drivers become distracted while behind the wheel:

--Removing their hands from the wheel

--Taking their eyes off the road and focusing on something else

--Not concentrating on driving and thinking about something else entirely. 

A systematic review conducted as recently as 2018 found that any conversation, be it with a passenger seated in the car or using a handheld cellphone, led directly to a reduction in healthy and safe driving performance.

Published in the journal, Human Factors, the review is said to include 93 studies which relied on more than 4,300 participants. Researchers found that most drivers who conversed on their cellphones while operating their vehicles compensated for being distracted by slowing down and creating more space between them and the vehicle directly in front of them. 

The study also concluded that dialing a cellphone led to greater incidences of distracted driving and potential crashes when compared to simply talking. Therefore, dialing a phone is considered much more dangerous. If you absolutely must conduct a phone conversation while driving, you need to dial prior to hitting the road. 

Hands-Free Voice Activated Apps

Psychology Today points out that a more recent study published in China in 2023 delved into the effects of hands-free, voice activated apps on young drivers. The experiments conducted found that these apps, which are engineered for safety, actually weakened the performance of young drivers significantly. 

More specifically, young drivers who used these apps were said to be more likely to drift from side to side while inside their lane. The drivers also had a slower response time, including when a traffic light changed its color. The drivers were also more likely to experience a serious collision. 

Danger Beyond Driving

The danger of being distracted goes beyond driving a vehicle. A review conducted in 2018 concluded that when people use mobile phones while biking and walking, they are also making riskier choices. Pedestrians who were distracted by using their phones waited longer to cross a busy road. They also missed more opportunities to cross when it was safe to do so. They also crossed more slowly than normal.

Children and adults who used a phone while riding a bike were said to be able to compensate by reducing their speed or stopping altogether. There is said to be evidence, however, that using a phone while using a bike resulted in delayed response time and caused less head movement. This means the ability to look at the road for dangerous situations like oncoming traffic was seriously reduced.

Distracted driving can be deadly. Distracted biking and walking along the side of the road can prove just as deadly. The solution? Always concentrate entirely on the road. Phone calls and texts can wait until you safely reach your destination.