Chicago Accident Lawyer Blog
Driver inattentiveness is one of the main reasons for car crashes in Chicago and elsewhere. Distracted driving leads to personal injuries to drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists. When people mention distracted driving, most people envision a driver texting on the phone. However, texting while driving is not the only risky behavior causing injuries. Distraction occurs with any activity that causes a driver to stop paying attention to the driving. Drivers take their eyes away from the road and away from driving for actions like eating, looking for songs, adjusting radio stations, or climate controls. According to the CDC , there are three types of distractions: Visual – taking your eyes off the road; Manual – taking your hands off the wheel, and Cognitive– taking your mind off driving. Sometimes all it takes is a second away from the road to cause a car crash. The younger the driver, the more prone to distractions while driving.
The CDC estimates that 25 percent of the distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes were young adults aged 20–29. Drivers aged 15-19 were more likely to be distracted than drivers aged 20 and older, among drivers in crashes where someone died.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board most recent statistics (2019) reveals that 9 percent of fatal crashes, 15 percent of injury crashes, and 15 percent of all police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2019 were reported as distraction-affected crashes.
In 2019, 3,142 died and additional 424,000 people suffered personal injuries in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.
Each driver owes a duty of care to act reasonably. A distracted driver is not a safe driver. A distracted driver is a negligent driver.
If you have suffered in a car crash by a negligent driver, seek legal advice. Contact the Chicago personal injury lawyers at Zneimer & Zneimer for a free consultation.