Distracted driving is defined as any attention by a driver given to a non-driving-related activity. These actions tend to greatly affect a driver’s performance and dictate whether an accident may occur or not. Many believe this is correlated with an increase in the use of mobile devices, such as texting while driving, which takes the driver’s attention off the road for long periods of time.
With this in mind, these types of accidents are extremely common and unfortunately cause a great number of fatalities and a greater number of injuries each year.
Driver distractions may affect a driver in three different ways: cognitively, visually, and manually. As a result, there are dozens of different distractions that may take place while operating an automobile. Some common types of driver distractions include:
– Adjusting control settings:
– Adjusting GPS devices
– Applying makeup
– Changing a song or station
– Drinking while driving
– Eating while driving
– Grooming while driving
– Passenger distractions
– Pet distractions
– Smoking
– Talking on the phone
– Texting while driving
When performing these actions while driving, it brings the driver’s attention off the road and greatly increases their chance of losing control and becoming involved in an accident with another automobile, pedestrian, or fixed object.