The cellphone is often referred to as the most significant distraction for any driver. And it is true that phone usage has been linked to thousands upon thousands of accidents. People have suffered serious injuries in crashes caused by drivers who are texting, taking videos, going on social media and even replying to their email messages.
But don’t assume that the only distraction a driver can face is their phone. There are actually many different distractions drivers have to deal with, and some of them are much more severe than the phone itself.
The issue with children
Studies have discovered that children are more distracting than phones, and the general issue is that they still need their parents to take care of them, even if their parent is driving the car.
This leads to a scenario in which children may demand that their parents pick up items they’ve dropped on the floor of the car, or they may ask for drinks or snacks while the vehicle is moving. Children may end up in arguments with each other, something that is very common when siblings have to sit next to each other. Infants may cry or whine, which can be a distraction that parents have no way to solve.
This problem is only compounded by the fact that parents have developed evolutionarily to feel a strong connection to children who express any sort of distress. That parent knows that the “complaint” isn’t that serious and that they need to keep watching the road. But that doesn’t change how the child’s cries impact them emotionally, and this can lead to distraction.
If you’ve been injured by a distracted driver, it’s time to find out what rights you may have to seek financial compensation.
