Whether you live in a quiet, rural neighborhood where people still head out for evening strolls and sit on their porches after supper, or your home is in the heart of a busy Georgia metropolis, chances are you get behind the wheel of your car to navigate highways on a regular basis. No matter how cautious and alert you are while driving, at any moment, you may be at risk for injury if a distracted driver is nearby.
Distracted driving causes thousands of fatalities every year. If you have someone in your household who is currently learning to drive, you’re wise to have multiple discussions on how to recognize a possible distracted driver and also how to avoid being one. The problem is that many people have become accustomed to certain behaviors that they mistakenly think are harmless when, in fact, they are placing themselves and others in harm’s way. If you suffer injury because of a distracted driver, you may face economic, as well as physical, damages.
Know the facts
When you’re running behind in your work day, do you ever eat your lunch in traffic? If so, then you have been a distracted driver. However, many consider eating and drinking while driving as harmless behavior, when, in reality, it is a dangerous distraction that can have catastrophic results. The following list includes other important facts you should know about distracted driving:
- At least 5,000 people die every year in the United States in automobile collisions that distracted drivers have caused.
- Driver distraction is a causal factor in approximately 16 percent of fatal car accidents throughout the nation each year.
- If a driver is texting, he or she typically takes eyes off the road for as long as five full seconds to look down at a cell phone screen.
- Those who text and drive have 23 times more of a chance of being involved in sudden collisions than those who avoid this distraction while driving.
While using hand-held electronic devices at the wheel is not the only dangerous distraction placing you at risk for injury on Georgia highways, it is definitely at the top of most lists for dangerous driving behavior. In fact, there is no safe way to text and drive, which is why many states have enacted laws to prohibit it.
Picking up the pieces after a distracted driving accident
Why should you have to pay for car damage or lose income for taking time off work if another person’s negligence caused you to suffer injury in a distracted driving accident? One of the most troubling aspects of such incidents is that they are often easily avoidable were it not for someone’s carelessness or disregard for traffic and safety regulations. Georgia laws, and laws in all other states, allow you to seek full recovery for your losses when driver distraction causes you physical, emotional or economic damages.