The Risks of Driving While Distracted

Distracted driving is risky. Researcher David Strayer of the University of Utah found that talking on a cell phone quadruples your risk of an accident, about the same as if you were driving drunk. Reduce your chances a bay area accident by minimizing risks where you can. Especially with our increasingly congested roads. 

The Risks of Distracted Driving

1.  Cognitive – keep your mind focused on driving

Have you ever arrived at your destination, and you don’t remember the journey? Sometimes we get so caught up with thoughts of what happened at the office, or mulling over endless to-do lists, that concentration is interrupted. Before you know it, you missed that red light…

2.  Visual – Make sure you keep looking at the road

It’s the usual school drop off, the kids are in the back yelling at each other over who gets to use the iPad, and your head is already pounding. You ask at them to stop yelling, but they ignore you. You turn around to shout “Hey knock it off!” and realize too late that the vehicle in front of you has stopped…

3. Manual – Your hands shouldn’t leave the wheel

You had to leave the office to run a few important errands, and you see a text notification. You glance and see its from a colleague asking for an immediate reply. There’s nowhere to pullover, so you’re tempted to text a response while driving. Don’t do it! The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted.

According to a Distracted Driving 2013 report published by the US Department of Transportation, 431,000 people suffered injuries and 3,179 people were killed following a road traffic accident involving a distracted driver.

An auto accident can turn your life upside down. Taking these steps to reduce your risks, and having a knowledgeable Oakland accident attorney by your side, can help ease the stress and ensure that you are fairly compensated in the event of an injury.