Don’t Let Distracted Driving Blind You

Would you ever close your eyes while driving? Of course not. But the truth is, when you text while driving or distract yourself in any other way that takes your eyes off the road, you might as well be driving with your eyes closed. So, if you would never close your eyes while driving, you should definitely also avoid giving into any possible distractions while driving. 

From Salt Lake City to the East Coast, distracted driving has proven to be seriously dangerous and can result in a major auto accident. The road should be the only thing a driver is focused on, as many an accident lawyer can attest. 

Texting and driving or other smartphone activity while driving has become a common problem that causes many an auto accident. Some people, however, are more old-fashioned and prefer reading a book or the newspaper to reading a text message Twitter feed. There are even some students from commuter schools such as the University of Utah in Salt Lake City who prefer to do their morning routine of eating breakfast, brushing their teeth or putting on makeup in the car on their way to school to save some time. Talk about a distraction—and a potentially deadly one at that! 

Cell phone use has been in the spotlight for demonstrating the dangers of distracted driving, but the truth is, there are countless possible driving distractions in our world. With the problem of distracted driving becoming discussed more frequently, many states have implemented new laws to try to encourage safe driving to reduce the risk of an auto accident for drivers. 

For example, in Salt Lake City, Utah, careless driving is defined by law as “committing a moving violation (other than speeding) while distracted by use of a handheld cell phone or other activities not related to driving.” When a lawyer can prove that someone was driving carelessly, it can have serious repercussions.

Social media in particular represents a serious distracted driving problem. From Salt Lake City to the Big Apple, it seems everyone loves social media (even your lawyer). With more and more people becoming involved in the world of social media, and social media lovers getting on their phones more frequently, the risk of an auto accident caused by distracted driving should be examined closely. The New York Times reports that according to a recent survey, “27 percent of drivers age 16 to 65 report using Facebook, and 14 percent report using Twitter. Of those, a startling 30 percent who said they post to Twitter while driving do it ‘all the time.’”

Thankfully, distracted driving has been recognized as the serious problem it is and there have been many efforts from non-profit organizations and large companies like AT&T to eliminate the dangerous habit that is distracted driving. But until people start paying attention, many a lawyer will be kept busy with auto accident cases.

Jordan Lee is a legal writer reporter for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. Information provided by Robert J Debry.