Make Time For Distracted Driver Awareness This April

Distracted driving is a persistent problem in the U.S. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that almost 3,500 people were killed and almost 400,000 were injured in an automobile accident due to distracted driving in 2015 alone.

Even as technology has improved vehicle safety, it can’t protect us from a distracted driver. In fact, some would argue that the increase in automobile technology can increase distracted driving by creating more distractions.

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. That makes it the perfect time to remind ourselves of the dangers of distracted driving and consider our own driving habits and how they may contribute to distracted driving.

Examples Of Distracted Driving
Most people agree that cell phone use while driving leads to distracted driving, but there are a great many other examples of distracted driving as well.  Any of the following can lead to driver distraction:

• Eating or drinking
• Texting or social media usage
• Talking on the phone
• Talking to passengers
• Applying makeup
• Changing the radio station

Anything that takes your eyes off the road can lead to distracted driving and result in an accident. Even more alarming, hands-free use of devices can be just as distracting which means that anything that distracts your hands, eyes, or your mind can be a danger behind the wheel. In fact, distracted driving is often broken down into three distinct categories:

Visual

This is anything that takes your eyes off the road. The distraction could be inside or outside of the car.

Manual

Taking your hands off the wheel – to change a radio channel, check your phone, or pick up your coffee, for example.

Cognitive

These distractions take your mind off of driving. They could be daydreaming, talking to a passenger or taking a phone call.

Unfortunately, cell phone use incorporates all three of these categories at once.

Don’t Be A Distracted Driver And Help Others Not To Be

The personal injury attorneys at Eisenberg Law Offices in Madison, WI represent way too many victims of auto accidents that involve distraction. We urge all drivers to eliminate distractions when driving, starting with cell phones; there are enough distractions and uncertainty on the road, we don’t need to be creating our own distractions inside the vehicle.