5 Dangers of Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is any type of activity that prevents your full attention from being on the road. Most of the time, distracted driving comes down to looking at your smartphone. However, it can also mean spending too much time changing the radio station or even talking to a passenger.
There are many dangers of distracted driving. Today, we’re going to talk about five of the most common factors in distracted driving and the damage that they can cause.
Breaking the Law
Distracted driving is illegal in most states. For example, in many states, you may end up with a traffic infraction if you look at your smartphone while driving.
Traffic infractions can start to add up quickly if there are any other laws broken at the same time. For example, you may glance down at your phone and miss a stop sign. This can lead to some of the other hazards of distracted driving, which we’ll explore below.
Property Damage
One of the most common dangers of distracted driving is the potential to cause property damage. Whether you veer off of the road slightly and hit a mailbox or bump into your own garage door because you’re not paying full attention, the damage caused can quickly start to add up.
Damage to Vehicles
If you’re driving while distracted, you might hit someone else’s car or an immobile object. Either way, you’ll end up damaging your car and likely someone else’s car, too. Depending on your insurance carrier, you may have to pay out more if you were to blame for the accident, especially if you were distracted when you caused it.
Damage to People
Distracted driving can cause real danger to the health and wellbeing of people around you. When you’re dealing with the high speeds that are usually associated with driving, all it takes is the smallest bump to do serious damage to someone. You can easily end up getting hurt or cause injury to pedestrians or other drivers on the road.
Death
As the most serious risk of distracted driving, death earns the top spot. Looking down for half a second to check an alert on your smartphone is all it takes to fail to notice a car braking. Suddenly, you may find that you drove into the back of another car while going 80 MPH. While there’s a chance you might survive this, it’s highly unlikely.
Distracted driving is never worth it. That text can always wait. Keep your hands on the wheel and drive safely.
Do you need legal assistance with a distracted driving case in Vancouver, WA or Portland, OR? Harlan Law Firm is here to help. Contact us today.