5 Shocking Facts and Statistics Regarding Distracted Driving

There are certain public safety issues that arise that, after some time has passed, people tend to start to ignore because they are fed up with hearing about it constantly. One of those issues that has been in the news constantly in recent months has been that involving distracted driving as more and more is learned about this extremely dangerous and at-best negligent activity. Hopefully people will not let their attention to this serious problem wane, as there is much more to be learned and even more than that to be gained if enough people decide that they need to continue to be vigilant in not allowing themselves to take their focus off of the road while they are driving.

We have been serving clients as Sacramento accident lawyers for more than 20 years, and we have helped many people hold those who caused them enormous and permanent harm accountable many times after they caused a crash because they were distracted. However, the situation seems to be getting worse rather than getting better, and that’s likely because we are more aware of the problem than we have been in the past. It could also be because there are more distractions, but many different groups are still studying this issue.

What we would like to do now is provide you with five shocking facts regarding distracted driving that were released for public consumption by the California Office of Traffic Safety. A link to more information from the agency can be found here.

• Approximately 80 percent of all traffic crashes in the United States involve some sort of driver distraction.
• Nearly 6,000 people are killed in car accidents in the United States every year where distracted driving was a factor.
• The number one distraction for drivers these days is using a hand-held device either to talk on the phone or to send or read text messages.
• Text messaging removes your eyes from the road for approximately five seconds. Most crashes occur with fewer than three seconds of reaction time.
• Inattention blindness is an emerging term that refers to times when your brain is not processing what is in front of you. This is what occurs when people are talking on cell phones even with a hands-free device, taking a drink of coffee or tea, or grabbing a snack while behind the wheel.

These are facts and figures that should prompt anyone who sees them to, at a minimum, review their own habits and norms and make sure that they are not putting themselves and others around them in positions of unreasonable danger. There are also situations where people who are harmed because of distracted drivers need to take action to hold those responsible for causing these crashes accountable.

That’s because the laws that have been passed in the state are simply not enough to deter everyone from engaging in this dangerous behavior. If you or someone you love has suffered because of a distracted driver, contact the Demas Law Group, P.C., immediately to schedule a free initial consultation.