An estimated 80% of traffic crashes involve driver distraction. This number may seem shockingly high, but the number of potential distractions while driving is regularly increasing: screens built into car dashboards, GPS devices, cell phones, music streaming to the car’s audio system, busy roads, increasing wildlife activity, three rows of passengers, and the list goes on.
Regardless of the many things that threaten to pull attention away from the road, drivers have a responsibility to stay focused on safely operating their vehicles. If you’ve been injured by a distracted driver, contact D’Amico & Pettinicchi, LLC to discuss your legal options.
Manual, visual, and cognitive are the three types of distractions while driving.
Anytime a driver takes their hands off the wheel to perform another task while driving, they are engaged in a manual distraction. This includes:
Taking your eyes off the road for any reason is a visual distraction, including:
Many manual distractions are also visual distractions.
Driving requires focus, and when your mind wanders and is not focused on operating the vehicle, this is considered cognitive distraction. Daydreaming or spacing out while behind the wheel is enough to cause an accident. Many of the most common distracted driving activities can include all three types, such as:
Distracted driving can be fatal and cause catastrophic injuries to passengers, other motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists.
Connecticut has enacted laws to cut back on distracted driving caused by electronic device use.
Distracted driving creates significant risk and endangers the lives of everyone on the roads. If you’ve been injured by a distracted driver, contact D’Amico & Pettinicchi, LLC for a free consultation.
Our attorneys have decades of experience helping injured accident victims with insurance claims, settlement negotiations, and injury lawsuits.
