Distracted drivers make everyone on the road a little less safe. Everyone knows that talking on the phone, eating behind the wheel or texting while driving can result in accidents. Despite that, some people still decide to drive while distracted, putting their lives and the lives of others at risk.
SmartIQ Snapshot released data in April that shows that most distracted drivers are less safe than other drivers overall. They commit more errors and fundamental mistakes than others, including speeding. Some statistics reported by the Snapshot analytics platform included that distracted drivers are 36 percent more likely to end up involved in near-misses than other drivers. The same drivers are 84 percent more likely to go through a red light or stop sign, putting others at risk.
Interestingly, driving while distracted doesn’t slow people down. Instead, it’s more likely that they’ll speed up. Distracted drivers are 87 percent more likely to drive 10 or more miles per hour over the speed limit despite the obvious risks.
Taking your eyes off the road is dangerous because it means you’re traveling without seeing where you’re going. Driving distracted can cause you to drift out of your lane at a rate of around twice as often as drivers who aren’t distracted.
If you are a victim of a truck driver who crashes as a result of distracted driving, you do have legal options open to you. Distracted driving kills, and commercial drivers should know better than to be distracted behind the wheel. You have medical and financial needs that the driver’s insurance or company should compensate you for.
Source: TruckingInfo.com, “SmartDrive Spells Out High Costs of Distracted Driving,” accessed July 06, 2017
