The month of April is designated as Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and national as well as Georgia transportation agencies will pay special attention to raising awareness about the dangers of driving while not focusing on the road, in the weeks ahead. Distracted driving is a significant cause of car accidents, personal injuries and wrongful deaths.
Distractions while driving can include a number of activities that take your attention away from the task of driving. These activities can include commonly known ones involving the use of electronic devices while driving, such as cell phones, tablets and other electronic equipment in your vehicle. The kind of distractions that you experience as you are using your cell phone to make or receive phone calls or text messages while driving can really impact your ability to drive safely and increase your risks of being involved in a car accident.
However, electronic distractions are not the only ones that plague Atlanta motorists. Everyday, thousands of American drivers are distracted because they are applying makeup, snacking, drinking, interacting with passengers in the car, and doing a number of other activities that take their focus and concentration away from the task of driving.
Needless to say, anytime your attention is diverted from the task of driving, your risk of being involved in a car accident significantly increases. Safety experts believe that distractions while driving encompass three factors – the taking of the eyes away from the road, the taking of the hands off the steering wheel, and the diverting of attention from the task of driving. All of these factors together seriously increase a person’s risk of being involved in a car accident.
Access to a phone in a car is just one of those things that American motorists now expect as part of their routine lives, but there are ways to responsibly and safely use your cell phones even while driving. For instance, most cars now have technology that allows for hands free talking on cell phones and many vehicles offer hands free texting. Keep your phone on silent mode while driving to decrease your temptation to use it. If there are phone calls or text messages that simply cannot wait to be answered, ask passengers in your car to answer those messages or calls for you if you do not have a hands free option. If you believe that keeping your hand off the cell phone is impossible for you, make sure that you secure your phone in a hard- to- access area of the car, like the trunk. Several smartphone apps now make it harder for people to access their cell phones while driving- install these and minimize distractions while driving. Avoid heavily distracting interactions with passengers in your car, and avoid any task that takes your hands off the steering wheel and your eyes off the road while driving.
The Atlanta car accident lawyers at Katz Personal Injury Lawyers are dedicated to the representation of persons who have suffered injuries in car accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across the state of Georgia. If you or a loved one have suffered injuries in a car accident, talk to an attorney at our firm and discuss your legal options for a claim for damages. You may qualify for compensation that includes medical costs, lost income and other forms of compensation. Talk to a lawyer at our firm and discuss your case. Initial consultations are free.