You’re rushing on the way to your friend’s wedding and you barely have time to get dressed, let alone apply your makeup. With one hand on the steering wheel, you lunge to meddle through your makeup bag in the passenger’s seat. Grabbing the lipstick you needed, you quickly take a peek in your rearview mirror, applying your lipstick as quickly as you can. Before you know it, a honking sound jolts you from your makeup routine, and you’re trading insurance cards with the blue Nissan that is damaged due to your distracted driving habits.
This scenario gets played and re-played over and over again in North America, just replace the lipstick with a cell phone, food, radio dial—and you’re reviewing the list of driving distractions that are the most likely to cause serious accidents. Injury attorneys are accustomed to seeing cases such as this one, but it’s important that you’re aware of the consequences that these seemingly innocent behaviours cause.
The Crash Odds
Injury attorneys are dealing with case after case involving car accidents that could have easily been prevented. These are a few behaviours that will put you in more danger of a car accident or a near crash scenario, compared to a driver who is not distracted:
- Texting – 23 times more likely
- Talking on the phone – 4 to 5 times more likely
- Reading – 3 times more likely
- Applying makeup – 3 times more likely
- Reaching for a moving object – 9 times more likely
- Dialing on a phone – 3 times more likely
- Talking or listening to a hand-held device – 1.3 times more likely
These behaviours show how likely it is that you will be involved in a car accident, and the results are astonishing. By simply typing out that “what’s up?” text to your friend, you are 23 times more likely to be involved in a car accident than the non-distracted driver. It’s time to be more aware of our behaviour in the car and prevent these accidents from occurring.
Hiring a Toronto Personal Injury Lawyer
A Toronto personal injury lawyer or injury attorneys will ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve after being involved in a serious crash. Book an appointment with an injury attorney at Sokoloff today, and receive your first consultation free of charge to ask any questions concerning your case.
Sources:
http://distracteddriving.caa.ca/education/crash-odds.php