Michigan Distracted Driver Car Crashes Due to Much More Than Just Texting
We’ve all seen them—distracted drivers on the road in front of us, clearly with their eyes and minds on something other than driving. They slowly veer into other lanes or onto the shoulder of the road, they’re going dangerously slow or at racetrack speeds and they don’t seem to notice road workers or construction signs. They generally behave as if nobody else is on the road, until they’re involved in a distracted driver car accident, that is.
The list of driver distractions is almost endless. For anyone who’s been driving for more than a few years, nothing we see other drivers doing in the lane over is surprising anymore: putting on lipstick, fixing their hair, eating a burrito, studying a map, even changing clothes, shaving and reading the morning paper. It is even harder to fathom when we see other people in the car with them, since they are not only risking their own lives, they’re taking the chance of causing severe passenger injury as well.
Personal injury lawyers in the Detroit, Michigan, Goodman Acker, know that in addition to these low-tech, every day activities causing negligent drivers, the headlines are filled with reports of more high-tech causes. Texting while driving and using a cellphone while driving are the two top reasons we have distracted drivers on our roads. Technology is not just part of messaging while driving or talking on the phone while driving, however. These days operating a GPS unit while driving, using an iPod while driving or using an electronic book while driving are also being written up in car crash police reports.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration did a study in 2010 which revealed that there are many driver distractions that cause collisions, from applying make-up to playing with the radio to staring at accidents. In the study, driver distraction played a role in 11 percent of the fatal car accidents in the United States the previous year, which climbed to 30,797 in total.
So if you see a driver on the road near you who appears distracted in any way, give them a wide berth, and if you’re hit by a distracted driver, take action. You need to fight for your right to be safe when behind the wheel and the statistics on distracted driver auto collisions and distracted driver motorcycle accidents are rising by the day.
At Goodman Acker, we believe drivers should do one thing and one thing alone when they are behind the wheel, and that is drive safely, defensively and conscientiously. If you or a loved one was involved in a distracted driver car crash, Detroit, Michigan personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Goodman Acker may be able to help you pursue compensation. Call us at 1-866-DON’T-LOSE or complete our online contact form to schedule a free consultation.
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