Posted on Wednesday, December 30th, 2015 at 6:42 am
Distracted driving is a huge problem in California and throughout the United States. In 2013, 3,154 people died due to a distracted driving accident and another 424,000 people were injured in a distracted driving accident. When you think about distracted driving, you probably think about a driver texting while driving or talking on a mobile device; however, distracted driving includes any activity that takes your eyes off the road and/or your hands off the steering wheel. Distracted driving includes:
- Eating
- Putting on makeup
- Reading a map
- Talking to passengers
- Adjusting the radio, seats, or other settings
- Taking care of children in the car
- Looking at things outside of the vehicle (i.e. scenery)
- Using your navigation system
- Emotional driving
In addition to anything that takes your eyes off the road or your hands off the steering wheel, anything that takes your mind off the task of driving is also considered a distraction including being under stress.
Emotional or Stressed Driving
Stress is a powerful emotion that can cause a variety of health problems; however, it can also cause you to lose focus. When you are experiencing stress, either good or bad stress, your mind may not be on the task of driving. You may be worrying about how you will pay the bills or planning your child’s birthday party — positive and negative stress can cause your mind to wander when you are driving.
If your focus and attention is not on driving, you can easily cause a distracted driving accident. The best way to avoid a distracted driving accident is to educate the public on the dangers of distracted driving including emotional driving.
How to Present a Distracted Driving Accident Due to Stress
We cannot always avoid driving during times of stress; however, we can take precautions to avoid causing a distracted driving accident if we are stressed or emotional when we get behind the wheel of a vehicle.
- Leave extra time to arrive at your destination in order to avoid road rage or stress from traffic or other delays. You want to stay as calm as possible when driving.
- If you feel stressed while driving, pull over and take a few deep breaths to relax. If needed, take a short walk, get something to drink, or sign along with a song on the radio.
- Try to avoid driving after a traumatic experience such as a fight with your spouse. Even something good (i.e. getting engaged, winning the lottery, etc.) can cause you to become distracted while driving.
- If you find you are not able to concentrate on driving because you can stop worrying about or thinking about something, make the conscious decision to stop thinking about that particular thing. You may need to deal with these matters; however, not while you are driving. Focus your attention on the traffic in front of you.
Have You Been Injured in a Distracted Driving Accident?
The personal injury attorneys of the Tiemann Law Firm want to help you recover the compensation you are entitle to receive from the distracted driver who caused your injuries. You can contact us online, call our toll free number at (916) 999-9000, or chat with a representative on our website.
When a distracted driving accident causes you to suffer financial, emotional, and physical damages, you deserve to be compensated. Let our law firm fight for a fair and just settlement while you focus on recovering from your injuries.
