.jpg)
No matter how many times some drivers hear that they should put down their phones, burgers and coffee cups, they continue to do it while behind the wheel. Even cellphone companies now warn drivers to put down their phones. It is even possible to block calls, texts and other alerts while driving in order to avoid the temptation to peek. Numbers may drop in the face of these efforts, but distracted driving continues to plague roadways here in California and elsewhere across the country.
Distractions are broken down into three types. A visual distraction involves the driver taking his or her eyes off the road. A manual distraction requires the driver to remove his or her hands from the steering wheel. A cognitive distraction involves taking the mind off driving.
While numerous activities could fall into one or more of these types of distraction, using a cellphone requires all three, which makes cellphone use particularly dangerous while behind the wheel. However, that does not diminish the hazard other distractions present. Eating, drinking, looking at a GPS system, putting on makeup and more all make the person driving a danger to everyone else on the road.
People often forget they are driving a vehicle that weighs at least a ton and is often moving at high speeds, which many would say makes it a deadly weapon. Even without distracted driving, or some other impairment on the part of the driver, vehicles have the potential of causing serious or fatal injuries when they impact another object. The victims of these drivers often have no forewarning that their lives are about to change, and not usually for the better. Fortunately, in the aftermath of such a tragedy, victims may pursue restitution for their financial and other losses by filing a personal injury or wrongful death claim, as applicable, in a California civil court.