DANGERS OF DISTRACTED DRIVING

Did you know that texting while driving is, by far, the most alarming distraction? While texting, a driver is distracted visually, manually and cognitively. There are, of course, other types of distractions that can occur and cause a driver to take their attention away from the road. Eating, taking care of a child or talking to a passenger, using a navigation system or reading a map are all common distractions. Below are a few statistics pulled from the CDC’s Motor Vehicle Safety portion of their website that illustrate the scope of the distracted driving problem.

THE STATS

• In 2012, 3,328 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver, compared to 3,360 in 2011. An additional, 421,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver in 2012, a 9% increase from the 387,000 people injured in 2011.
• In 2011, nearly one in five crashes (17%) in which someone was injured involved distracted driving.
• In December 2012, more than 171 billion text messages were sent or received in the US.

Some people still don’t know how dangerous distracted driving really is but the nearly half a million people injured each year will tell you it is a very serious safety problem. Don’t make the mistake thinking that the statistics don’t apply to you, please be safe and refrain from these types of distractions.

DISTRACTIONS TO AVOID

• Taking your eyes off the road
• Taking your hands off the wheel
• Taking your mind off of driving.

At Huffman & Huffman, we have handled many cases for people who were injured by a distracted driver. If you or someone you know has been injured by a driver who was distracted, please contact us today at (757) 599-6050.