As per the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted drivers are those who participate in any activity that diverts them from driving safely. Some of those activities include talking on a cell phone, texting while driving, using an infotainment center, eating, smoking or even attending to personal grooming. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that every day, about ninepeople die in distracted driving accidents. About another 1,000 others are injured. If you find yourself a victim of such an accident, consulting with a Tampa car accident lawyer can help you navigate the aftermath.
Texting While Driving
When a person is trying to drive safely, there are three activities that they must lock their brain into. Those are:
- Visual focus in keeping their eyes on the road.
- Manual control in keeping both hands on the steering wheel.
- Cognitive brain activity in keeping their mind on what they’re doing.
Distracted Drivers And Latency
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has found that distractions persist even after a driver stopped distracted behavior. It describes this as latency when a driver’s brain doesn’t fully connect again with driving safely. It could last for as long as 27 seconds before, during and after sending a text message. Texting while driving is the most dangerous form of distracted driving. It combines all three of the above distractions plus the latency period. According to the Virginia Tech Safety Institute, texting at 55 mph is like driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed. If a person can drive the length of a football field at 55 mph, he or she could drive more than a half a mile in 27 seconds and not fully realize it when traffic ahead slows down or stops.
A Recent St. Pete Car Crash
Distracted drivers in St. Pete may be all too common. There’s strong evidence of a distracted driving crash between a Chevrolet Impala and a Honda motorcycle on northbound Interstate 275 recently. The Impala failed to slow down as traffic ahead slowed, and the driver rear-ended the touring bike with a 56-year old man on it. The Florida Highway Patrol reported that the motorcyclist was in critical condition at a local hospital. The driver of the Impala hit the motorcycle so hard that it was propelled into a third vehicle before her car came to rest.
Contact A Tampa Bay Car Accident Attorney
When we couple the most common car crash configuration with the most common cause, there is clearly a danger of being rear-ended by a distracted driver whenever we’re on the road. While not always possible, avoid distracted drivers as much as you can. If you or a family member were injured by a distracted driver in or around St. Petersburg, Tampa Bay or Tampa, contact our offices right away to arrange for a free consultation and case evaluation. You can tell us what happened and how it happened. Then, we can advise you on all of your legal options. Our objective is to get you the maximum compensation that you deserve.