Distracted Driving = Dangerous Driving
Do you own a newer vehicle with fancy gadgets and technology? Is there a Bluetooth hookup feature to your phone now, so you can see every song playing on Pandora, Amazon, or Googleplay with a few careful manipulations of your touchscreen device? Despite the numerous song selections at your fingertips, think twice before song surfing while driving. The pain of listening to an overplayed song is nothing compared to the physical and financial pain of a car accident.
A study recently released from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety revealed that information and entertainment systems in cars can distract drivers for as long as 40 plus seconds at a time. AAA has stated that removing your eyes from the road for a mere two seconds doubles the risk of an accident. It is not surprising that AAA found that these new gadgets cause a heavy amount of distraction. Despite this, AAA estimates that 1 out of every 3 drivers on the road uses an infotainment system while driving, whether for navigation, to make a phone call or send a text, or select music. With voice commands, glancing at a screen, and taking your hands off the road to scroll through songs, your brain is sending out multiple commands at once and has only so much extra attention for the road.
In addition to all of this, studies are also showing that despite the huge technological advances we are seeing, these new vehicle interfaces are not always user friendly, especially for those of us that may not be the most technologically savvy. Complicated technology continues to up the distraction factor for drivers, and this puts the drivers, themselves, their passengers, others on the road, and bystanders at a huge risk for injury. Think twice before you let your focus drift to "What does the fox say" playing incessantly on your stereo. Just say no to distracted driving.
Have you been a victim of distracted driving through a car wreck or crash? Are you facing dire physical injuries with no recourse in sight? Contact the attorneys at Bryan, diStefano & Mattingley today for a free consultation. Because dealing with a mountain of medical bills and fighting with insurance to cover the costs should not be the thing that is distracting you today.
For more information: https://www.aarp.org/auto/info-2017/car-tech-gadgets-distracted-driver-fd.html; https://publicaffairsresources.aaa.biz/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/CDST_Final_Report.pdf