April Is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, Know These Three Types Of Distracted Driving

You might think that all distracted driving is bad and you would be 100% ride.  During National Distracted Driving Awareness Month we are working to shine a light on all distracted driving and make sure that you are not caught in a situation where you are distracted behind the wheel which will lead you to a New Haven auto accident and cause you to be injured or worse.

While excessive speed is one of the most dangerous things you can do while behind the wheel of a vehicle a very close second is being distracted while you are driving.  Distracted driving goes well beyond just peeking down at your cellphone to check a text message or change the song on the radio, there are a wide variety of ways you can be distracted while driving.  If you don’t know all the ways, you should become familiar with them and make sure you are not inadvertently doing any of them so you can keep yourself and your passengers safe.

Distracted driving falls into three categories, all of which are dangerous and can cause real issues in keeping you safe while you’re driving.  If you are distracted while you’re driving that distraction probable falls into any one of these categories.

1.) Visual:  Any activity that takes your eyes off the road for even a split second can be considered a visual distraction and cause you to be put into a seriously dangerous situation.  Taking your eyes off the road for even a single second can increase your chances of getting into an accident exponentially.

2.) Manual: Taking your hands off the wheel is a form of distracted driving.  You may think, well I have lane assist in my vehicle so I can take my hands off the wheel with no problem, but be aware that this lazy form of driving can become deadly.  Your car may be able to do certain things with technology, but it cannot yet handle you taking your hands off the wheel and not paying attention to the road ahead of you.

3.) Cognitive: Think about when you might have been driving and daydreaming thinking about being any place other than behind wheel, this is cognitive distraction.  You may not think much of it, but not being entirely focused on the road ahead of you can lead to serious consequences and is absolutely considered a form of distracted driving.  An example of this type of distracted driving is if you’re on your way home from work and your mind is still stuck in the project you were working on instead of being completely focused on the road ahead of you.

Distracted driving is something that we all struggle with.  It can be tempting to take your eyes off the road for a split second just to send one quick text or change the song on your phone.  You can be thinking about something altogether different then getting home safely and that can serve as a distraction.  You could be leaving the driving up to technology and not monitoring the road with your own cognitive abilities.  Any number of distractions can lead to a New Haven auto accident and if that is the case an injury may occur.

Contact our office if you have experienced an auto accident that has left you injured.  You may need to speak with an attorney who can review your situation and work with you to protect your long-term interests.