Distracted Driving Behaviors Of Young Drivers
Distracted driving is one of the major causes of accidents that occur on the roadway today. While texting and driving, or using your smartphone at all while behind the wheel is considered by some to be the main form of distracted driving, there are many activities that fall in this category.
With April being Distracted Driving Awareness Month, our office felt it was fitting to share the details of distracted driving with our readers, as well as share results of a study that focuses on distracted driving behavior among young drivers.
Types of Distracted Driving:
- Using your phone – texting, Tweeting, or any other activity taking your attention from the road
- Eating or drinking – focusing on your food, or trying to keep your drink from spilling instead of keeping eyes on the road
- Talking to passengers – you may keep your eyes on the road, but the conversation could take your mental attention away
- Grooming/putting on makeup
- Reading
- Inputting info into a GPS system – put your destination into the GPS before leaving, or pull to the side of the road to change the address
- Adjusting media – radio, CDs, iTunes music
Distracted Driving Behaviors of Young Drivers
A study done by Plymouth Rock Insurance focused on insights from Digital Natives, which are the first generation born into the world of smartphones, social media, and all things digital. The online poll was taken by New Jersey drivers between 17-25 years old and the results stated that 73-percent of them had witnessed a friend texting while driving, and 70-percent had witnessed a friend using a phone without hands-free technology.
Texting and driving is considered a very dangerous behavior. The results of the survey were interesting in that many of those polled indicated that they follow the behaviors of their parents, stating that 25-percent had witnessed a parent texting while driving and 57-percent witnessed a parent using a phone without hands-free technology.
Distracted Driving Car Accidents
Our office feels very strongly about spreading awareness of the dangers of distracted driving. As personal injury attorneys, we have seen the tragic outcomes that texting and driving and other distracted behaviors can cause, so we ask our readers to think twice before responding to a text or email while on the road.
If you have been the victim of a distracted driving accident, having sustained injuries due to the negligence of another driver, call our office at 800.637.8170. You will have the opportunity to speak with a personal injury attorney about your accident and receive guidance on the steps that you should take to file a personal injury claim. For more information about the car accident claim process, request a free copy of The Ohio Accident Book.
