According to the Nevada Traffic Safety Crash Facts, only 3% of Nevada’s fatal crashes result from distracted driving. But by the state’s admission, this statistic likely undercounts the true number since police officers have little evidence after a car accident to prove that a driver was distracted.
Unfortunately, most drivers multitask while driving at least some of the time. When these tasks interfere with a driver’s ability to see, process, and avoid hazards, a distracted driving crash can happen.
Why Distracted Driving Matters
Distractions take three forms:
- Visual distractions take your eyes off the road
- Manual distractions take your hands off the wheel
- Cognitive distractions take your focus off of driving
Distracted driving interferes with your ability to avoid crashes. Many people justify multitasking by pointing to the brief period of distraction or even explaining that these other activities do not detract from their driving ability.
However, according to a study conducted by the University of Utah, drivers talking on hands-free cell phones performed just as poorly on driving simulations as drunk drivers. This means that, contrary to popular belief, the danger of cell phone use while driving does not come from holding the phone or looking at the screen. The danger comes from focusing your mind on something other than driving.
Similarly, the period of distraction might seem short, but a lot can happen in such a short time. At 35 miles per hour, your car covers about 50 feet per second. During a three-second glance to read a text message, you travel 150 feet, or half the length of a football field, without watching the road.
A pedestrian could step off the curb. A traffic signal might change. The driver in front of you may hit their brakes. In any of these situations, you remain completely unaware of these events because you cannot see them happen.
Tips for Avoiding Distracted Driving
You probably cannot avoid distracted drivers because they are everywhere. But you can avoid becoming one of them. Some tips for avoiding distracted driving include the following:
Put Your Phone Away
Cell use is one of the most common distractions. Nevada bans the use of handheld cell phones while driving but allows the use of phones in hands-free mode.
Leaving your phone out might prove too tempting when you start hearing the notifications. Reaching for your phone, glancing at its screen, and swiping to answer or decline a call can endanger you and others on the road. Talking using a headset or speakerphone built into your vehicle will take your focus off of driving.
Some ways to remove the temptation to use your phone include:
- Turning off the power
- Putting the phone inside a bag, briefcase, or glove box
- Silencing the notifications
You can also install an app that automatically silences the notifications and responds to calls and texts for you when it senses that you are driving.
Wait to Eat
No state prohibits eating while driving. Drivers have probably eaten while driving since the invention of the car. But on crowded Las Vegas roads, even a brief distraction while you unwrap food or try to clean up a spill can result in you hitting a pedestrian, cyclist, or vehicle.
Instead, wait to eat until you reach your destination. If you cannot wait, pull over and eat. Remember that you will not save any time by eating while driving if you cause an accident.
Map Your Route Before Leaving
A common distraction happens when you try to enter an address to map your route after you start driving. Finding your mapping app and entering an address takes only a few seconds, but you will be driving blind while you perform these actions. If you take just a few seconds to enter the address before you start driving, you can avoid the risks of distracted driving.
Stop or Pull Over if Necessary
According to scientists, the brain cannot handle more than one task at a time. What appears to you to be multitasking is, in fact, your brain rapidly switching between tasks.
Thus, when you deal with anything that requires your attention and focus, no matter how small, your brain will focus on it. Driving will fade into the background while the brain completes the other task, then come back into focus after the other task is complete.
You cannot avoid some situations. Maybe you have an important work call. Or perhaps you need to clean up the hot coffee you spilled on your leg. Wait until you are stopped, such as at a stop sign or red light, to handle these tasks. If it will take longer than a few seconds, pull over or stop in a parking lot while you take care of it.
Avoid Tailgating and Speeding
Tailgating and speeding amplify the risks posed by distracted driving. Many distracted driving crashes happen when a driver glances at their phone and fails to see the car in front of them brake. They rear-end the vehicle because the distraction prevents them from reacting to the change in traffic conditions in time to stop safely.
Following other vehicles too closely or traveling faster than them increases the risk of a rear-end collision. If you tailgate other drivers or speed, you might barely have time to stop without distractions. If you throw in a brief one-second distraction, stopping in time might become impossible.
Contact a Las Vegas Distracted Driving Attorney
Even when you drive safely and avoid distractions, others will not. Contact Morris Injury Law for a free consultation after you get hit and injured by a distracted driver.
