It is innate in our human nature to move around and go to different new places. We can not be immobilized for a very long time and stay sane. That is why transportation is crucial for us and why improvement in transportation has driven us this technologically far. It is important to never forget that with great power, always comes great responsibility.
Driving cars is one of these great powers that is being used quite inappropriately in some cases. One of these inappropriate cases that happens way too often is distracted driving. The number of lives that are taken this way is far too great to give any kind of excuse for this type of accident. Here are some details about what distracted driving is and how you can avoid it.
Definition
Defining distracted driving is not a hard thing to do, the name is self-explanatory. It defines any activity that distracts the driver from the road and diverts the attention elsewhere. Explaining why distracted driving is a bad way of driving is also not a hard task to do. There are so many things happening on the road usually, and so many unexpected things can happen on the road. It is important to focus on it at all times so you can act accordingly to any situation that may occur.
When an accident occurs from distracted driving, it is very important to hire a lawyer who is specialized in such cases. Distracted driving can occur from many activities, but the one that keeps popping up the most is texting. In those cases, you can contact a texting while driving accident lawyer to get specialized support for your case. If the distraction was due to other factors, you can find lawyers specialized in those cases as well.
Other types of distractions
Distracted driving can be separated into 3 categories depending on the nature of distractions. Those 3 categories are visual, manual, and cognitive distractions while driving. Visual distractions are the ones that take your eyes off the road and somewhere else. That can be besides phone screens, looking at billboards, grooming, etc.
Manual distractions are distractions that make a driver take one or both hands off the steering wheel. That can be eating, smoking, taking something from your bag, or behind the car. Cognitive distractions are the hardest to prove since the driver during that time is looking at the road and has both hands on the steering wheel. It is when the driver’s mind takes off into a daydream or is thinking about something else, like the music playing.
Prevention
The only way you can avoid distracted driving is through prevention, you can not undo the aftermath. When you are driving, stay focused on the road ahead and the vehicles and pedestrians around you. It is as straightforward as it can be, do not try to multitask driving with something else. That other thing that you are trying to do can always wait, your life and the lives of others can not.
Sometimes you really need to answer the phone or talk to other people in the car, and when you are feeling stressed you tend to lose focus. That happens to everyone, we have all been in those situations where our focus was not always on the road. The only thing that separated those events from accidents was luck, and it is not necessary to take that chance when everything is at risk.
Feeling tired
The lack of sleep, feeling under the weather, or anything that gets you down can have a serious effect on your driving abilities. Right now, it is very easy to catch the newest covid variant, the omicron variant, which can cause the aforementioned effects. If you are positive and feeling tired and like you can not do anything, you definitely can not drive, even short distances.
Many people do not drive tired on purpose, the majority of those people being truck drivers. The poor working conditions that have to be endured are not healthy and it is your right to get some rest. If the workplace forces you to drive under the condition of feeling tired, you have the right to seek justice for that.
If you are a passenger
If you are a passenger and you are seeing this inappropriate behavior, you definitely should act upon it. Do not engage in unnecessary conversation with the driver if it can lead to them focusing on you. If the driver needs to check the phone, you can do that instead of the driver. If the driver wants to check something in their bag or glovebox department, you can do that for them. It is ok to talk about such things when you are helping the driver out with other tasks.
There will be situations where you are not the only passenger who can have an effect on the driver. If there are other people engaging in such activities, you have the right to stop them. You will not be considered a boring person if you try to interrupt something dangerous from happening.
If you are a bystander
If you are a pedestrian there are unfortunately not many things you can do to avoid distracted driving. Keep your eyes peeled so you do not get injured by that type of accident that can occur at any moment. Unfortunately, there are many incapable drivers out there and you are bound to run into one of them sooner or later.
Telling you everything about right driving etiquette may seem like a big bummer and just a bunch of boring rules. Unfortunately, there is no other way of putting all of this politely when it is such a serious problem. Try to think about the people who mourn the ones that were lost by this type of inappropriate behavior.
Until our transportation becomes less car-oriented, this problem will last. The idea of electric and driverless cars may seem like a very good idea when you are not thinking in hindsight. The only way to minimize such accidents is through adequate working conditions and good public transport. Until then, it is very important to follow these guidelines and avoid distracted driving.
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