The leading cause of car accidents and truck accidents in New Jersey is distracted driving. When drivers take their eyes and their attention from the road ahead of them, the likelihood of a serious accident increases significantly. For example, 2,841 people were killed by distracted driving nationwide in 2018. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that nearly nine percent of all accident fatalities are caused by distracted driving. The New Jersey State Police Department Fatal Accident Investigation Unit found that 146 of those deaths happened in New Jersey that year.
Causes of Distracted Driving
The distracted driving statistics need to drastically change. Accidents caused by distracted driving can easily be prevented. There are three areas in which people can be distracted: visual, manual, and cognitive. Visual distraction is taking your eyes off the road and what is in front of you. Manual distraction is doing things that take your hands off the wheel. Cognitive distraction is letting your mind drift and not thinking about the act of driving safely.
Here are the main things that cause people to be distracted while driving:
- Paying attention to your smartphone: This issue has become a national issue over the past 20 years. Drivers are constantly looking at their phones, reading texts, responding to texts, taking pictures of themselves, and facetiming with other people. All it takes is a few seconds of reading a text, and you have lost control of your vehicle and are crashing into cars in the other lane.
- Eating food: So many people will eat food while they are driving. Even though you can eat while still looking at the road, eating will require you to take both hands off the wheel, making it easier to lose control of your car. Also, while you are eating, there is always the need to briefly look away from the road. These brief distractions can easily cause a serious accident.
- Radios and satellite navigation: Looking at navigation maps on your phone or your vehicle’s screen can cause you to be distracted. Obviously, tuning your radio to find the right song can take both your eyes off the road and one hand off the steering wheel.
- People inside the car: Merely talking to a passenger while driving is not necessarily distracting. However, it could be distracting if it takes your mind off what you are doing. Another major distraction while driving is having children in the back seat. Often, parents try to help their child by getting them things such as toys or snacks, all while driving. This can be dangerous.
- Personal hygiene care: This category may seem like a joke, but unfortunately it is more common than one might think. Often, drivers can be seen shaving or putting on makeup while driving. Although the desire to look good is always a plus, it is suggested that you do those tasks at home and not while driving to work.
Atlantic City Car Accident Lawyers at the D’Amato Law Firm Help Clients Who Have Been Seriously Injured by Negligent Drivers
If you have been seriously injured in a car accident by a distracted driver, you are entitled to compensation for your injuries. You do not have to go through this alone. The Atlantic City car accident lawyers at the D’Amato Law Firm are here to fight for your rights. We have the knowledge, skills, and resources to do what it takes to win you the full and fair money damages you deserve. Call us today at 609-926-3300 or contact us online for a free consultation. With an office in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, we assist accident victims in Atlantic City, Linwood, Galloway Township, Cape May, Vineland, Millville, Bridgeton, Ocean City, Woodbury, and across South Jersey.