Many car accidents happen because of distracted driving. It delays people’s reactions, leads to avoidable mistakes and presents a danger similar to drunk driving.
With that in mind, it is important to think about the different types of distractions that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified. Not all distractions look the same, and distraction can actually occur for numerous reasons.
Visual distractions
When a driver looks away from the road, they are experiencing a visual distraction. They may have turned their head to talk to a passenger, for example, or looked down at the screen of their cellphone. Even just changing the radio station or looking down at the controls to adjust the air conditioning can be a visual distraction.
Physical distractions
Next, when drivers try to do something in the car along with driving, they are experiencing a physical distraction. Holding a cellphone is a common example, but others include eating or drinking behind the wheel, putting on makeup, adjusting the mirrors or picking up something that fell on the floor of the car.
Cognitive distractions
Last but not least, you must consider the mental distractions a driver faces. These could be as simple as daydreaming or getting lost in thought. Texting and driving also creates cognitive distractions because the person is reading the text message or thinking about how they want to respond, rather than thinking about traffic or driving their car.
If you have suffered injuries in an accident that a distracted driver caused, you may deserve compensation for lost wages, pain and suffering, medical bills and many other damages.