New York motorists should take a moment to consider driving distraction-free during Heads-Up Driving Week which is October 2-8. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is concerned about your safety, so for the third year in a row they are trying to get drivers to maintain focus on the road while they drive for an entire week in order to reduce the number of car accidents in New York and nationwide.
Manhattan accident attorneys hope that efforts like these will eventually get through to the thick heads of motorists who disrespect the law and have a blatant attitude towards the dangers that driving while distracted can lead to. It is these drivers that put us all in danger of a serious injury or even losing our lives every single day that we walk, bike or drive the streets of New York.
There are approximately 8,000 crashes daily nationwide involving a distracted driver. In 2010, almost 34,000 people were killed in traffic accidents, which over the course of 25 years, adds up to over a million people dying on our nation’s roadways.
Drivers who use a cell phone increase their chances of being in a crash by four times compared to a drive that is only focused on the road. Rubbernecking, a common practice among New York drivers, is just as dangerous as texting or talking on the cell phone. Other dangerous behaviors that prove to be just as distracting as using a handheld device are eating, adjusting the radio dial or smoking.
Passengers tend to be a common cause of distraction for young drivers, as well as, adult motorists transporting children. Infants are eight times more distracting than adults and young children are found to be four times more distracting when riding in a vehicle. Since tending to a child requires a driver to take their eyes completely off the road and turn their head around to the back seat, it is no wonder this is a common cause of distraction-related car accidents nationwide.
New York motorists must deal with major distractions that others don’t ever have to experience, such as many flashing lights, aggressive taxi drivers and a crushing amount of traffic on a daily basis. And because of the fast-paced nature of business in the City, this often translates to multi-tasking while behind the wheel which is an extremely dangerous habit.
A recent multitasking study by researchers at the University of Utah suggests that during daylight hours, roughly 10 percent of cell phone users are operating a vehicle at any given minute. The study also found there is a direct correlation between performance and attention but that our brains simply aren’t wired to take on numerous tasks at one time.
In other words, the more items that we try to check off the to-do list while we drive, the more our driving performance fails because of lack of focus directed to the roadway.
One thing we can do to reduce the risk of a distracted driving accident is change our attitude. If every motorist in the country made a pledge to drive distraction-free for one week, what a difference it would make in saving lives. Changing reckless habits for a week could be enough to reform bad habits into safe driving behavior for a month, year or even a lifetime.
The Law Offices of Nicholas Rose, PLLC offer advice and free consultation to car accident victims in Queens and Manhattan. To make an appointment with an experienced injury lawyer, call 1-877-313-ROSE today.
More Blog Entries:
Cell Phone Ban for Commercial Drivers Could Lead to Fewer Trucking Accidents in New York, Nationwide, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, October 3, 2011.
Speeding and Driver Inattention Are Common Causes of Teen Car Accidents in New York City, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, August 29, 2011.
Public Awareness and Enforcement of Distracted Driving Laws Can Reduce Cell-Phone Related Car Accidents in New York City, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, August 6, 2011.
