The Grim Facts About Distracted Driving

We all like to think we are able to multi-task, there is one time when trying to do two things at once should be avoided — when you are driving. Sadly, distracted driving is the cause of many car crashes in Columbia and across the U.S. every year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that each day approximately eight people in our country die in collisions involving a distracted driver.

Texting and Driving Is a Major Distraction

Texting and driving is one of the most dangerous forms of distracted driving because it encompasses all three types of distractions. When we are reading a text message, our eyes are off the road — a visual distraction. When we are responding to a text message, our hands are off the steering wheel — a manual distraction. And when we’re reading a text message and thinking of a reply, our mind is no longer on the task of driving — a cognitive distraction.

Texting Is Not the Only Way You Can Be Distracted Behind the Wheel

The dangers of texting and driving have been the focus of many public campaigns and initiatives to stop this dangerous behavior. However, texting and driving is not the only way a motorist can be distracted. Other distractions include eating while driving, grooming while driving, turning the radio, making a phone call and checking your email.

The Statistics on Distracted Driving Are Grim

Unfortunately, distracted driving accidents occur far too often. In the U.S. in 2018, more than 2,800 people lost their lives and approximately 400,000 people were injured in distracted driving accidents. One in five of those killed in a distracted driving accident in 2018 were pedestrians. These grim statistics show how all drivers in South Carolina and across the U.S. need to exercise care when behind the wheel and avoid causing a distracted driving accident.