You’re out on the road, and you’ve been driving for hours now. The boredom is beginning to sink in, while your passenger is contentedly snoring beside you. You already have the radio playing full blast, but the music seems to drown out only fragments of the snores here and there. You phone begins buzzing, and you pick it up without hesitation—finally a distraction! Suddenly, you look up and a car’s bright lights remind you that the text was unimportant.
Unfortunately, scenarios such as this happen time and time again, because distracted driving is becoming more common with the amount of hand-held devices we have distracting us today. Automobile accidents are a result of these distractions, but laws are being set in place, and people are becoming more educated on this serious issue. It’s time to identify distracted driving as a serious problem, with serious consequences to match.
Types of Distractions in the Car
Nowadays, there can be anywhere from one to three devices distracting us at the same time. It’s no wonder that automobile accidents occur because of these distractions, as we are willing to put ourselves at risk for one text. Here are the top driving distractions, as identified by CAA/AAA:
- Eating/drinking: 1.7%
- Cell phones: 1.5%
- Adjusting the radio: 11.4%
- Outside objects/people/events: 29.9%
- Using another device/object: 2.9%
- Adjusting the vehicle’s climate controls: 2.8%
- Something moving around inside of the vehicle: 4.3%
- Occupants in the vehicle: 10.9%
These percentages show the number of distractions that we are faced with in our vehicles. This is why it is imperative to remove or hide these distractions from ourselves before we drive (especially any hand-held devices). The less distractions there are in the car, the lower the risk is that an automobile accident will occur.
Hiring a Toronto Personal Injury Lawyer
If you have been involved in an automobile accident due to distracted driving or another specific scenario, find the help you need in a free consultation with a Toronto personal injury lawyer at Sokoloff today. Toronto personal injury lawyers will deal with your insurance company directly and ensure that you are guided through the process of filing your claims.
Sources:
http://distracteddriving.caa.ca/education/tips-to-avoid-distracted-driving.php