Every day more than 1,060 individuals are injured as a result of distracted driving. Distracted driving is incredibly dangerous, it is reckless, and it is illegal. When you are behind the wheel and you’re attention is diverted from the act of driving to anything else, you are distracted and putting not only yourself but anyone else in your car and on the road at risk for an accident.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are three types of distracted driving. Anything you are doing other than focusing on driving such as using your handheld device for texting or making a call, turning around to pass things to children in the backseat, having rowdy car occupants, putting on makeup while driving, and eating or drinking are all distracting and can take your attention off of the road. In 2018, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that there were close to 3,000 lives lost from distracted driving.
If you have been hit by a distracted driver and injuries were sustained, you should first seek medical attention for your injuries and then speak with a qualified Janesville automobile accident injury attorney.
What Are The Types Of Distracted Driving?
According to the CDC, these are the three ways a driver can be distracted while driving:
- Visual distractions when your eyes are not watching the road and your environment. If you are staring at your phone, turned around looking at children, looking in your purse next to you for an item, you are cannot see any hazards on the road.
- Manual distractions occur when your hands are not on the wheel. Playing with the radio, fiddling with GPS, holding your phone in your hands are all examples of actions that would remove your hands from your driver’s wheel. When your hands are not on the wheel your reaction time to steer away and avoid any dangers on the road is slowed.
- Cognitive distractions take place when you are thinking about anything else but driving. When your mind is not zoned in and alert to the act of driving and instead, occupied by other thoughts you can easily miss potential dangers that otherwise you could have avoided.
Staying focused and alert to your surroundings and not allowing yourself to take your eyes, hands, or mind off of the act of driving will help you stay much safer on the roads. You can only control your own behavior and you cannot control others. If another vehicle is showing signs that the driver may be distracted, staying far away from the car will reduce the chance that they will hit you. Signs that a driver may be distracted and not paying attention to the road include:
- Swerving between lanes or within a lane with an inability to keep their car driving straight.
- Constant changing of speed driving slowly then speeding up and then slowing down again.
- Braking randomly and erratically.
- Not responding when traffic signals change, taking too much time to react in intersections.
- Drivers who are eating or drinking.
Where Can You Find A Wisconsin And Illinois Automobile Accident Attorney?
If you have been hit and injured by a distracted driver in Wisconsin or Illinois, the Wisconsin automobile accident attorneys at the Alexander J. Smith Law Offices will help you file a suit against the negligent driver. The Alexander J. Smith Law Offices are the Janesville personal injury lawyers that will aggressively fight on your behalf so you see your full legal justice. Call us today to discuss your situation during a completely free consultation at (608) 237-7035 for residents of Wisconsin or (815) 243-9686 for residents of Illinois. One of our highly knowledgeable Wisconsin and Illinois personal injury attorneys is looking forward to supporting you.