Driving Digitally Distracted
One text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for 5 to 10 seconds. At average speeds, you will travel almost 100 yards, or the length of a football field, in just those few seconds. During that time, your hands, your brain, and your eyes are all distracted from the road and the vehicle you’re driving.
Cell phone usage leads to 1.6 million accidents each year. Way beyond texting, drivers are distracted by social media, digital maps, music and millions of apps on our cell phones today. Stand and watch any stretch of road and it won’t take long to see someone speeding by looking at their phone instead of their surroundings.
Teenagers are especially susceptible to these deadly mistakes. Every year, more than 3,000 teenagers in the United States die in cell phone related accidents. Vehicle crashes are the number one leading cause of death for teenagers broadly, and distracted driving now accounts for more of those fatalities than drunk driving.
Eyes up everyone
Car crashes affect everyone. Deadly accidents don’t care if you are rich or poor, how many kids you have, or how undeserving you are of such tragic circumstances. Lives are lost indiscriminately across our country due to distracted driving.
This problem is preventable! That’s the good news. When you know the facts and prioritize your safety, and the safety of everyone else on the road, the choice is simple. Put the phone down and keep your eyes up.
Your best offense on the road is a good defense. Pay attention. Watch what is going on around you. Be attentive to pedestrians, bicyclists, children playing, and older adults behind the wheel. Be a good example of safe driving for the kids in your car and other young drivers. We share the road with one another and our well-being is interdependent.
Don’t be a digital driver
I’m Gary Albin with Wichita’s Accident Recovery Team. As attorneys, we see the negative impact of accidents every day. And we know that many of these crashes, caused by cell phone usage and digital distractions, could be easily avoided. Eyes up driving is a simple solution to a deadly problem. Please, put your phone down and keep your eyes on the road.
Reach out immediately with questions for the Accident Recovery Team regarding automobile accidents, worker’s compensation claims, or medical malpractice. Thanks for doing your part to keep Kansas streets safe this year.
