Distracted Driving

Distracted driving has become such a problem that the U.S. federal government has created a special website, Distraction.gov, to address the issue. The phrase appears everywhere from the news media to the insurance industry. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, distracted driving is said to be responsible for thousands of deaths per year, accounting for 16% of all fatal car crashes.

Distracted Driving Facts

When a driver is focusing on something other than the task of driving while behind the wheel of a moving vehicle, he or she is engaging in distracted driving. Texting, talking on the phone, eating, applying makeup, playing a cell phone game, or turning around to have a conversation with passengers in the back seat are all examples of distracted behavior. Each of these activities divides the driver’s attention and, therefore, increases the chances of an auto accident. Unfortunately, statistics reveal that many of the people who are guilty of these behaviors are young drivers.

Texting and Driving

Texting while driving is one of the most high-profile forms of distracted driving. Texting and driving statistics show that the average person spends at least five seconds looking away from the road while reading or sending a text message, more than twice the amount of time that is deemed safe. Road safety experts have determined that two seconds is the limit for how long a driver can look away from the road and remain safe. This is especially true while driving at a high rate of speed. Driving for five seconds at 55 miles per hour, a car covers a distance equivalent to the length of a football field.

Types of Distraction

Distracted driving facts can be harrowing, but they do not always explain why distracted driving is so dangerous. Forms of distracted driving fall into three categories:

• Mental Distraction: This form of distracted driving takes the driver’s mind off of the task of focusing on his or her surroundings.
• Manual Distraction: If a driver is using his or her hands for something other than operating the car’s steering wheel and gears, this is considered a form of distraction, even if the driver is otherwise focused on the road.
• Visual Distraction: A visually distracted driver looks away from the road, usually for a prolonged period.

These forms of distraction can happen independently of one another, but usually, distraction includes some combination of the three. Texting while driving, though, is an alarming combination of all three types of distraction. A driver who is looking at the road but fumbling around in the passenger seat for something is experiencing both manual and mental distraction. Distracted driving is unsafe, not only for the person doing it but also for other drivers on the road.