Ocala Distracted Driving Lawyer
When it comes to road safety, distracted driving is the scourge of our time. After studying the leading causes of car crashes and close calls, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) named distracted driving as the number one contributing factor of car accidents. Distracted driving is more dangerous than speeding, more disastrous than drunk driving. NHTSA studied a large number of crashes, and their research revealed that driver attention was turned away from the road just before the crash in 80% of the accidents studied.
Cell phone manufacturers and app developers are looking at ways to limit access while driving, and public safety campaigns continue to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, but with seemingly little effect. Distracted driving is negligent driving, and if you are seriously injured in a car accident with a distracted driver, you might be able to pursue a claim for damages against the driver and their insurance company. An experienced Ocala distracted driving lawyer can be invaluable in this process and help you get all the medical care and compensation you need and deserve after a distracted driving car accident. Learn more below about distracted driving, and contact the Musleh Law Firm if you’ve been injured in a distracted driving crash in Ocala.
What exactly is distracted driving?
When you are the person in the driver’s seat, distracted driving is any activity you do in the car instead of driving. A lot of attention these days focuses on texting while driving and handheld cell phone use as the chief dangers, but long before smartphones existed, distracted driving was there. People eat while driving, apply makeup, shave and read the paper. Even talking to other people in the car is a distraction, and the more involved you get in a conversation, the more likely you are to fail to react timely and appropriately if the car ahead of you suddenly slows, stops or makes some unexpected maneuver.
Even though distracted driving is broadly defined, safety experts classify distracting activities into three categories of distractions: Manual, Visual and Cognitive.
Manual Distractions – If you’re doing something with your hands other than steering, you hamper your ability to respond to an object in the road, a sudden traffic slowdown, or any of the countless other situations that require you to maintain control of your vehicle at all times. Manual distractions include holding a phone to talk, type or place a call, eating, and interacting with your car’s touchscreen display.
Visual Distractions – If you don’t have your eyes on the road, you’re visually distracted. You may think you are only going to avert your gaze for a second, but the task takes longer than you expected, and one second becomes two, three or four. If you are traveling at high speeds, five seconds of driving covers the length of a football field, making visual distractions extremely dangerous. Glancing down at your phone to read a text is a prime example of a visual distraction that often takes longer than you expected, and longer than is safe.
Cognitive Distractions – When your mind is pulled away from the critical task of driving, this is known as a cognitive distraction. Cognitive distractions are especially dangerous because they frequently involve visual and/or manual distractions as well (think about talking or texting while driving, for example). Also, even once the cognitive distraction is over, it may still take several minutes before your mind fully returns to the present task of driving. For instance, you may think simply tuning to another radio station won’t be too involved and will only take a few seconds, but the more involved you get in the task, the more likely you are to be visually, manually and cognitively distracted and miss what’s going on in front of you and all around you. Sending a text or checking in on social media is likely to take even longer and raise the level of distraction even higher.
How can you prove the driver was distracted?
There are many different ways to prove that distracted driving was the cause of an accident. Witnesses may have seen the driver holding a phone before the accident. Phone records or the car’s computer logs may tell what the driver was doing just before the crash. The force of the crash, the presence or absence of skid marks, and other factors can show whether a driver was paying attention and tried to brake before hitting another car. As experienced Ocala distracted driving accident lawyers, we know how to investigate an accident, review police accident reports, and build a strong case that proves the negligence of the other driver.
Call the Musleh Law Firm Injury Attorneys After an Ocala Distracted Driving Car Accident
If you’ve been injured in an Ocala car accident caused by distracted driving or some other form of negligence, call the Musleh Law Firm at 352-732-0600 for a free consultation with a skilled and experienced Ocala personal injury lawyer.
