Every year there seem to be more cars on the road than ever before. Maybe you have watched the show, Mad Men, for example, and heard the characters talk about the routes they use to drive somewhere. So many of those routes have been supplanted and augmented by new highways that weren’t even considered back in the 1960s when the show takes place.
The simple fact is, there are more cars on the road than ever before, and more cars on the road mean more ways to get into accidents. Ask any automobile accident lawyer and they will tell you that with all of the ways drivers are being distracted today, it is a wonder there aren’t more car accidents, motorcycle accidents, and truck accidents on the roads and highways.
So many cases are being brought to the courts that were not the kind of serious issues that they are today. As long as there have been cars, there has been distracted driving. But, in today’s world, what to look for in a law firm has been a very important consideration for people who think they can drive distractedly and get away with it.
Here are three things you might not have realized about distracted driving and why you might want to have an automobile accident lawyer on speed dial.
1.) The number of deaths and injuries related to distracted driving is in the thousands each year.
In 2013, there were 3,154 people killed in motor vehicle accidents where distracted driving was a factor and roughly 424,000 people suffered injuries. This is not simply a problem in certain areas. This is an issue all across the country.
2.) Hundreds of thousands of Americans drive distracted every day during the daylight hours.
Whether it is about business or otherwise, every day there are approximately 660,000 drivers who are using their mobile phones or using some type of electronic device while they are driving. Obviously, the more people who participate in these activities, the greater the probability that an accident will occur and an automobile accident lawyer will have to work overtime.
3.) Visual-manual subtasks increase the accident risk by three times.
If you are reaching for your phone, dialing it, texting with it, or playing a game on it, you are engaging in a visual-manual subtask. All of these things distract from driving and put you and so many others whom you do not know at risk. You are three times more likely to be involved in a crash if you do these types of activities while driving.
The next time you are out driving around town or on one of the highways that Don Draper wouldn’t have even known about understand that with the advancement of technology comes the increased risks of driving while distracted. You do not want to be that person. So, don’t be.