Driving to and from work is part of your daily life. But, being on the road so often can also be dangerous. Other people commuting may not be as responsible as you and may be in a rush on the way to work. Some people may finish putting on their makeup or eating breakfast in the car on the way to work. Doing these activities while driving can lead to serious accidents. If you were hit by another car on the road, chances are the driver could have been distracted.
What counts as distracted driving?
There are many different actions that are considered distracted driving. In fact, there are three types of distraction on the road: visual, manual and cognitive.
Visual involves taking your eyes off the road and can include texting, looking at a map of GPS or looking at yourself in a mirror. Manual distracted driving is when a driver takes their hands off the wheel which also includes texting but can also involve eating or drinking and even changing the radio station. Cognitive distracted driving is more complicated as it means taking your mind off driving. This can mean daydreaming or talking to other passengers in the car.
How dangerous is distracted driving?
Distracted driving significantly increases the risk of an accident. A study from the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles found more than 5,000 people died from a crash involving a distracted driver in 2009. The Nevada Department of Transportation also found that people are nine times more likely to get into a crash when reaching for a moving object and approximately three times more likely to crash while applying makeup or dialing a phone.
Unfortunately 80 percent of drivers engage in dangerous behavior while driving such as changing their clothes or eating while driving, which means there are many potentially hazardous drivers on the road every day.
Road safety is a major concern for many people and many people engage in distracted driving. There are laws in Nevada banning some forms of distracted driving but there will always be people on the road who take risks. Being vigilant can help you avoid dangerous drivers because safety is most important when driving.