What Are the Three Types of Driving Distractions?

Posted on January 19, 2023 in Personal Injury

Did you know that distracted drivers kill nine people every day in the United States on average? That’s according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which categorizes driving distractions into three types.

This article will describe the three types of driving distractions and provide examples of distractions that cause car accidents and injuries in South Carolina and across the country. It will also explain how the South Carolina distracted driving accident lawyers at Melonakos Law Firm can help victims of these entirely avoidable crashes.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to our car accident attorneys for a free consultation if you’ve been injured in a crash due to a distracted driver.

Types of Driving Distractions That Cause Accidents and Injuries

According to the CDC, there are three main types of driving distractions:

• Visual – Taking one’s eyes off the road
• Manual – Taking one’s hands off the steering wheel
• Cognitive – Taking one’s mind off driving

It takes just a split second of distraction for an accident to occur, resulting in 3,142 deaths and 424,000 injuries in one recent year alone.

Examples of Distractions Leading to Car Crashes

While there are three main types of distracted driving, some behaviors fall into more than one category. Here are some examples of common distractions that lead to car crashes:

• Texting – Texting is a visual, manual, and cognitive distraction, and it is ubiquitous in our connected age. On average, sending a text takes approximately five seconds. In that time, someone traveling 55 miles per hour would drive the length of a football field with their eyes and mind off the road and only one hand on the wheel.
• Talking on the phone – Even with hands-free cell phone technology, talking on the phone takes a motorist’s mind off driving. The National Safety Council found that talking on cell phones, whether handheld or hands-free, increased the risk of injury and property damage by a factor of four.
• Adjusting vehicle controls – Adjusting the temperature, volume, or music controls takes one’s eyes off the road and one hand off the wheel. Furthermore, searching for a particular radio station or song would take a motorist’s mind off the task of driving, too.
• Eating – Eating and drinking while driving combine visual and manual distractions. Concerningly, 48 percent of drivers have admitted to doing so, according to NHTSA. A study involving 3,500 participants found that eating while driving nearly doubles the chances of an accident.
• Passengers – Other occupants in the vehicle can create a significant distraction. According to NHTSA, 82 percent of drivers identified talking to their passengers as a distracted driving behavior they have committed.

Get Help from Our Greenville Distracted Driving Accident Attorneys

If you were injured in a distracted driving accident, the South Carolina car crash attorneys at the Melonakos Law Firm can help you pursue accountability for the driver’s negligent actions. We firmly believe you should not have to pay the price of someone else’s mistake.

Contact the Melonakos Law Firm today for a free consultation with our South Carolina distracted driving accident attorneys.

Michael Melonakos

Michael, a lawyer who honed his skills at premier Atlanta insurance defense firms, specializes in cases involving trucking, auto, and premises liability, adeptly representing both local and national clients.