If you drive frequently, you have probably witnessed it or may have even been a culprit yourself: doing something other than keeping your attention on the road and the task at hand. Distracted driving is one of the greatest dangers on America’s roadways. It is to blame for thousands of injuries and hundreds of thousands of deaths – which would have been entirely preventable if drivers had been paying attention.
According to statistics on the Department of Transportation’s website, www.distraction.gov, 3,328 people were killed and about 421,000 were injured in distraction-affected collisions in the United States in 2012. These accidents could have been prevented if drivers had kept their eyes on the road, their hands on the wheel and their mental attention on driving.
At Cannon & Dunphy S.C., we provide experienced legal counsel for clients across Wisconsin who have been injured by distracted drivers. Car accident claims and lawsuits are a key part of our legal practice, as we recognize the significant impact these preventable incidents can have on all aspects of a victim’s life. We understand how losing a loved one in this way can cause unprecedented devastation for an entire family. If you would like to talk to a Milwaukee car accident lawyer about your options and rights in the aftermath of a collision, please do not hesitate to call for a confidential and free case review.
Distracted driving may be described as operating a motor vehicle while engaging in any type of activity that takes one’s attention from driving. Any type of distraction can significantly impair a driver’s ability to safely operate a vehicle, with a considerably increased risk of causing or being involved in a collision. These distractions may fall under one or more of three primary categories: those that affect visual attention, those that affect mental attention and those that affect manual attention.
Perhaps the most dangerous distractions are those that affect all three forms of attention: visual, mental and manual. Texting while driving is widely recognized as the most dangerous distraction affecting today’s drivers. A recent study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that a driver’s chances of a collision increase by up to 23 times when texting while driving, as opposed to a driver who is not driving while distracted.
Learn more about distracted driving accidents and your rights. Contact a Wisconsin car accident attorney at our firm for your free consultation.
