What is Distracted Driving?
Distracted Driving is when a person operates a motor vehicle while engaging in activities that divert attention from driving tasks, such as:
- Talking on a cell phone
- Using a navigation system
- Texting or emailing
- Eating
- Adjusting hair or makeup
- Using the audio system
- Texting
What is Distracted Driving?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), “Distracted driving is any activity that…takes your attention away from the task of safe driving.” Studies have shown that texting while driving significantly increases the likelihood of a crash or near-crash event. The detrimental effects of distracted driving can range from minor fender-benders to severe accidents resulting in life-altering injuries or fatalities.
Understanding the risks associated with distracted driving and adopting safe driving practices can help mitigate its adverse impacts on road safety and overall public safety.
More information about Distracted Driving
Fatal Car Crashes Rise Sharply in 2016
Fatal car crashes are soaring, and the government is scrambling to come up with a way to bring these numbers down.
Nearly 18,000 people have been killed in traffic accidents so far this year, an increase of more than 10% over the same period in 2015. From 2014 to 2015, traffic deaths jumped more than 7%, the largest year-over-year increase since the 1960s. This year’s surge will likely surpass that record.
It’s true that Americans are driving more miles than they did last year (3.3% more), but not enough to account for the increase in crashes.
Road to Zero Fatal Car Crashes
A number of safety groups have come together to form Road to Zero, a coalition aimed at lowering the number of traffic deaths to zero by the year 2046. Their goal is inspired by Swedish policies begun in 1997 that brought crashes down 50% in less than 15 years. […]
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Traffic Deaths Continue to Rise in 2015, 2016
Traffic deaths in the U.S. are rising at an alarming rate.
In 2015, fatal car crashes increased 7.2% from the previous year. And, preliminary numbers for the first half of 2016 show a 9% increase over the same period last year.
So far this year, more than 19,000 people have lost their lives in car crashes, and an additional 2.2 million have suffered injuries. Given these numbers, the National Safety Council estimates that this year could be the deadliest Labor Day weekend in 8 years.
Why are fatal accidents up so much, and what can we do about it?
On one hand, cars are getting safer. Safety equipment and technology have improved remarkably over the last decade, with many life-saving features now standard on new models. Yet traffic deaths continue to climb.
According to National Safety Council CEO Deborah Hersman, […]
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Drivers Beware – Pokemon Go is Driving People to Distraction
Pokemon Go is taking over.
If you haven’t already heard, Pokemon Go is an enormously popular new augmented reality gaming app that uses players’ GPS and smartphone camera to allow users to explore their real-life environments to capture virtual creatures. Launched about a week ago, it has already been downloaded by 7.5 million people. It surpassed Tinder as the #1 most downloaded app on iTunes, and is getting more usage time than SnapChat, WhatsApp, and even Instagram.
If distracted driving wasn’t enough of a problem already…
The game has been praised for getting people outside, moving around, and interacting with other users in real life. However, the game can be highly distracting. There have already been reports of people falling, walking into walls, and being robbed while trying to catch Pokemon. Safety officials have issued warnings, urging players to “look up once in a while.” […]
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Teen in jail, Snapchat speed filter blamed for 107 MPH crash
A 19-year-old girl is in jail after allegedly causing a 107 MPH car crash outside of Atlanta, GA, while using Snapchat to record her speed.
Snapchat has a filter that allows users to record how fast they’re traveling when they take photos or videos with the app.
As personal injury lawyers who handle car accidents on a daily basis, we can’t help but see the Snapchat speed filter as inherently dangerous, and as an accident waiting to happen. In a society already marred by distracted driving, this filter seems to contradict every effort to deter cell phone use behind the wheel. While representatives of the app claim that the speed filter includes a warning not to use it while driving, that seems contradictory to its very function and offers little comfort to the families of those who have been hurt in other accidents involving a speeding, […]
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Don’t Call it a Car “Accident”
Safety advocates are trying to change the way we talk about motor vehicle crashes.
Mark Rosekind, head of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration said that the term car “accident” implies that it was no one’s fault, it could not have been prevented or foreseen.
In reality, more than 90% of collisions are caused by driver error – drinking, distracted driving, speeding, and other risky behavior. Relatively few are true “accidents,” caused by uncontrollable situations like a mechanical malfunction, icy roads, or other factors.
So what difference does it make? Why does it matter what word we use to describe these incidents? Road fatalities are on the rise. Safety officials, lawmakers, and aggrieved families feel strongly that language reflects our attitudes, which affect policy. When the language we use implies that nothing could have been done to prevent a tragic “accident,” […]
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