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Texting and other dangerous distractions for drivers

On Behalf of | Feb 20, 2018 | Blog

Texting is an especially risky activity for drivers, but it is not the only form of distraction. Young people are the most likely to use their cellphones for a variety of purposes while driving, but every motorist falls prey to distraction at some point.

Resolving to cut down on activities that take your mind away from the road ahead is a goal to which you and every other responsible driver should aspire. Here are a few of the most common distractions.

Cellphone use

No matter if you are texting, emailing, making or accepting a call or checking social media, using your cellphone while driving is dangerous. A car crash can happen in seconds while you are texting at 55 miles per hour. At that speed, and with your eyes off the road, you could cover the length of a football field before you were able to stop.

A five-second text is all it takes to be in a crash. Cell phone records can be obtained by a lawyer to prove the other driver was distracted. Texting and driving is illegal in West Virginia, as well as many other states.

Fiddling with technology

When you adjust a radio or an MP3 player, or when you reach over to program your GPS system, you run a risk because your attention will need to be off the road for a precious few seconds. You should program these things before you depart or when you are stopped.

The three main types of distraction

Keep in mind that there are three kinds of distraction:

  •         Manual, which means taking your hands off the steering wheel
  •         Visual, or taking your eyes away from the road ahead
  •         Cognitive, or taking your mind away from the task of driving

Taxing the brain

A personal injury attorney can tell you that texting is an especially risky activity because it employs all three distractions simultaneously. The brain is not capable of handling this sort of multitasking efficiently, so something has to give. A simple distraction is all it takes to override your responsibilities as a driver, and that may result in a serious crash with injuries to match.

Be careful – don’t text and drive. If you have been the victim of a careless driver, contact Gellner Law Offices. We’d like to help!