If you are on the road, you know how many drivers today are distracted, especially living in this new technological era. Some of us are guilty of doing so as well, but it’s important to note exactly what those distractions on the road are and how to avoid them. Distracted driving is one of the number one causes of accidents, but if that’s not enough to stop you from doing it, maybe hearing the statistics will. So here’s a few distracted driving statistics you may want to know.
Types of distracted driving
Distracted driving is categorized into three different segments. It is important to note that although there are different types of distracted driving, one can fall into more than one segment.
Here are the three categories as outlined by the CDC:
Visual:
This qualifies as any action that takes your eyes off of the road.
Manual:
This qualifies as any action that takes your hands off the wheel
Cognitive:
This qualifies as any action that takes your mind off of driving.
All three types of distracted driving are dangerous and you should try to avoid them at all costs. We will examine some facts related to distracted driving and some categories in which these fall into:
The Most Common Type of Distracted Driving is Texting
This is probably the most common type of distracted driving going on right now. With everyone constantly glued to their phone, it is very hard for people to put the phone down even for 5 minutes. This form of distraction hits all three categories, making it probably one of the most dangerous forms of a distraction.
The NHTSA reported that in the time it takes a person to read, absorb, and reply to a text, they will have traveled almost the length of a full football field. That means that the whole time they drove that distance, their eyes weren’t fully focused on the roads, both of their hands weren’t on the road, and their minds were focused on other things. The state of Florida has had such an issue with texting and driving that they enhanced the rules regarding it. In fact, a police officer in the state of Florida can now pull over a driver just on the suspicion of texting as a primary offense rather than them being stopped for another offense first.
Teen Drivers are the most at risk
In the US alone, 1 in every 6 distracted driving accidents involves a teen driver. While you may think this is because of most teens being glued to their cellphones, that is actually not the #1 factor contributing to their distraction. The distraction for this demographic is actually their own peers with them. In fact, statistics show that the more passengers in a teen’s vehicle, the higher likelihood of an accident.
Who let the dogs out? Hopefully not you...
You may think that having your furry friend in the car with you is a good idea. If they are smaller you probably even think it's a good idea to let them roam free and not restrain them. Although, you may not realize that this is yet another 3 category hit for distracted driving. Triple A actually reported that 80% of people actually drive with their pets, and of that group only 17% actually restrain their pets while 30% reported being distracted by their pets. Therefore, it is so important to ensure your pet is safe and if you need more tips on that we have you covered, check out this blog post or more information.
The Amount of Distracted Driving Accidents has hit over 50,000 cases
These types of crashes result in roughly 300 deaths, and over 2,700 serious injuries. Sadly, those numbers have only been increasing rather than decreasing.
It can Always Wait
Whether you are reaching to grab something or you got that buzz on your cell phone showing that you got a new message. It can always wait! If you get caught texting and driving by a police officer, you could get ticketed for it and your premiums could go up. In fact, it’s reported that if you are convicted of a distracted driving incident, your premium can go up by 16% and, if it’s a cell phone related charge, it can go up 21%.
Fatalities Caused By Distracted Driving
Distracted Driving puts more than just the driver of the car at risk, but it puts others in the vicinity at risk as well. In fact, about 1 of every 5 fatalities in the US is caused by a distracted driver. This number includes pedestrians, cyclists, etc. Therefore, no matter what may call you to pay attention to it, your focus in a car should always be on the road. So if you or a loved one are ever in an accident, call us at Demesmin and Dover law firm because to us it's personal.