The Dangers of Distracted Driving

Car and truck accidents caused by distracted driving isn’t new. There have always been distracted drivers. Whether the negligent drivers were changing the radio, looking out the window, or talking to a passenger, there were always things that could distract a driver enough to cause a crash. However, with the advent of the smartphone, distracted driving crashes have become an epidemic in the United States and on the roads and highways in Tennessee.

Distracted driving is the largest category of “driver error” accidents in the U.S. Every year, distracted drivers cause tens of thousands of accidents, injuring hundreds of thousands of people. Here are the more common reasons we see in our Tennessee car accident practice.

Using a Smartphone

Using a smartphone while driving is the leading cause of distracted driving accidents. People who are texting and not paying attention to the road are a huge danger to themselves and everyone else on the road. All it takes is a moment, a split second to look at your phone, and you might lose control of your vehicle. Not only is texting a problem, but even talking on the phone can be distracting to some drivers. If someone is not actively paying attention to what is in front of them, but is paying attention to the conversation they are having, they could easily not be able to stop in time if an emergency happens in front of them. This is especially a problem with younger drivers who tend to use smartphones more than older drivers.

Fiddling With the Radio

Adjusting your music or listening choices on the radio has always been a distraction problem. But with increased technology, there are now more ways to play around with your radio or smartphone and not pay attention to the road ahead of you. It used to be that all we had in our vehicles were radios, cassette players, and CD players. But now, we can hook our phones up to our vehicle’s stereo system and play whatever is on our phones. Again, this is just more options that drivers have to be distracted. There is no text that is more important than your safety and health and the safety of everyone else on the road.

Using GPS

Most people would think that using modern GPS devices to find our way around would cut down on distracted driving. It’s easier to use than pulling out an “old fashioned” paper map while driving. But using GPS devices is still a distraction, especially when you are inputting addresses into the device and reading it, all while driving. The safest way to use GPS devices, as well as using your smartphone for texting, etc., is to pull over in a safe place and use the devices. Once you are done, then begin driving again.

Applying Makeup

One of the things that people do while driving is to apply make-up, while using the rearview mirror to see what they are doing. This is one of those things that everyone who does it knows that it could be dangerous, but they do it anyway. It is another way for people to not pay attention to driving.

Zoning Out

One of the ways that people become distracted is by “zoning out” while driving. This happens more often when people are driving long distances on highways. Have you ever driven a long distance and afterward couldn’t remember you driving on certain sections? This is what happens when you zone out. Usually the zoned out driver is looking forward, but their mind is off somewhere else and they are not paying attention to the road. This also could cause crashes.

The law office of Robert Bates & Associates represents seriously injured people in and around the Tri Cities region of Tennessee. We have been successfully representing car and truck crash victims for over a decade. Contact us for a free consultation.

Robert BatesRobert is a Kingsport trial lawyer who handles car, truck and motorcycle wreck cases across the Tri-Cities. Every client gets his cell number.