Distractions are everywhere around a vehicle, so drivers have to learn how to avoid them. A driver who succumbs to any distractions can miss things happening around their vehicle. That means they may not be able to react in a suitable manner.
Some drivers mistakenly think that distractions won’t impair their ability to drive safely. That can be a dangerous assumption because even short distractions can be deadly. It only takes five seconds for a vehicle that’s going 55 miles per hour to drive the length of a football field.
Distractions vary greatly
Distractions come in three distinct forms. Some distractions are manual ones, which means that they force the driver to take their hands off the wheel. Other distractions are visual, which means the driver takes their eyes off the road. Another type of distraction is cognitive, which means that the driver takes their mind off driving.
Some distractions encompass only one of these, but there are times when the distraction can encompass all three types. For example, a driver who tries to hand something to a child in the backseat will have to take their hands off the wheel to pass the item, their eyes off the road so they can see the child, and their mind off driving as they think about giving the child the item.
Distracted driving is something that’s fully preventable. Victims of these crashes may opt to pursue a compensation claim to help cover the expenses related to it. This can include medical care costs and missed wages. Working with someone familiar with these matters can benefit the victims as they’re working to get the compensation they deserve.