If you’re interested in avoiding distracted driving, the first thing you’ll probably do is put your phone away while you’re in the car. Maybe you’ll even turn it off entirely. Next, you’ll likely start doing common tasks — adjusting the mirrors, programing the GPS, etc — before you start driving. This way, you don’t have to do them when you’re on the road.
Then, when you’re ready, you and your passengers will get in the car and head off to your destination. Think that you’re now a distraction-free driver? Think again.
Kids, backstreet drivers, chatty friends and other distractions
Per the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, one of the most common reports of distraction is when there is a passenger in the car. They rank passengers as follows:
- Adult passengers: A major distraction
- Young children: Four times as distracting as adult passengers
- Infants: Eight times as distracting as adults
This means that parents are often some of the most distracted drivers on the road. Whether they’re trying to silence a crying baby or handing out snacks to toddlers, they’re paying attention to the passengers when they need to pay attention to the road. It’s very hard for parents to ignore their children while they drive, and they can’t help but transport them, so this is a distraction that is likely never going to end — at least, not until everyone has autonomous cars.
If you get injured by a distracted driver
Have you been hit by a distracted driver? If you suffered injuries in the crash, you must know how to seek compensation and what options you have to recover your financial losses. You already have to bear the burden of your injuries — you shouldn’t have to bear the financial burdens, as well.
