If you become involved in a distracted driving accident, you could sustain serious injuries and lose the ability to work. Hospital bills, mental trauma and intense physical pain also impact many victims and their loved ones. Sadly, distracted driving crashes also claim many lives.
As a driver, you need to understand the risks associated with distracted driving and maintain your focus while behind the wheel. Regrettably, some drivers do not pay attention or understand how serious distracted driving is, and they must answer for the consequences of a collision.
Reviewing distracted driving risk factors
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are many different reasons why drivers become distracted behind the wheel. Sending emails, texting and using a phone for other purposes account for many distracted driving crashes. Other behaviors, such as eating, conversing with other people in the vehicle, adjusting mirrors and changing songs attribute to many distracted driving accidents as well.
Some distractions cause drivers to lose their mental focus, while others cause drivers to take their eyes off of the road or their hands off of the steering wheel.
Statistics on distracted driving injuries and deaths
The CDC states that over the course of 2018, estimates suggest that 400,000 people suffered injuries in traffic accidents involving distracted drivers. During the same year, more than 2,800 people lost their lives in accidents involving a distracted driver (roughly 20% of these victims were not in vehicles when the accident occurred, such as bicyclists and pedestrians).
If you are dealing with the aftermath of an accident caused by a distracted driver, make sure you stand up for your legal rights.