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One of the best videos on distracted driving dangers
From a study of 1,600 managers and professionals, Leslie Perlow, PhD, the Konosuke Matsushita professor of leadership at the Harvard Business School, found that:
70% said they check their smartphone within an hour of getting up. 56% check their phone within an hour of going to sleep. 48% check over the weekend, including on Friday and Saturday nights. 51% check continuously during vacation. 44% said they would experience "a great deal of anxiety" if they lost their phone and couldn't replace it for a week.
Now, click to follow a link to watch the video and read more statistics and studies about distracted driving and how far-ranging a problem it has become.
Commonly held beliefs about multi-tasking contribute to distracted driving
Driving and talking on the phone simultaneously is not like walking and chewing gum. Walking and chewing gum don't involve much concentration. Driving and holding a conversation, however, do involve those areas of the brain that require a lot of thought. Research shows that the mind can't do two distinct thinking tasks at the same time; instead, it switches back and forth very quickly between the two activities. It may look like someone is doing both at the same time, but the brain doesn't work that way. Those brief interruptions in focus can mean that the driver is on autopilot. And autopilot can't react when something unexpected occurs. Click to learn more about how multi-tasking is a myth, and why driving while distracted is so dangerous.
Distractions aren't limited to driving a car
In our fast-paced world, distractions are rampant. Technological innovation has given us so many options vying for our attention, which is a very lucrative business. Smart phones are everywhere, and contain a tiny universe of information packaged in colors, sounds and vibrations, providing endless interface as soon as we dip our attention down into the screen's stream. There are headphones with great sound quality that bring us into our own world right in the midst of the one we share with other people. More and more people are apparently learning how to cope with being addicted to electronic devices. While distracted driving gets a lot of press because the statistics so obviously show the danger, here are a few recent studies and facts that show how being distracted impacts us in many ways.
Inattention blindness: what makes distracted driving so dangerous [VIDEO]
Everyone by now should know that driving while distracted is one of the most dangerous things you can do behind the wheel. But lots of people also think that multi-tasking is possible, and while other drivers might not be able to do two things at once, there are ways to juggle tasks safely. More and more research says this is not so. If you're trying to have a conversation on the phone, whether you are listening or speaking, your mind is engaged in cognitive tasks. Even if you aren't holding your phone - a manual task - your mind is focused on this primary task of your conversation. Which means that if you are trying to talk about your dinner plans while you're driving, your mind is focused on trying to choose between pizza and Chinese, not what's in front of your windshield.
Here is a great video that explains why distracted driving occurs.
Bellingham WA lawyer helps client find compensation for hip dislocation due to accident
If you have been injured in a car accident that wasn't your fault, it can help to hear that you're not alone. That you do have options, and there are ways to recover some of what you lost financially. It takes money to be able to recover from serious injuries like a hip dislocation and bone fractures, like this car accident victim hit by a distracted driver. Sometimes your best option is to seek legal expertise to make sure you receive a fair settlement for your damages and losses. Here is one client's story.
What's up with rubbernecking?
We've all seen it - and face it, probably done it ourselves. There's an accident on the shoulder, and we MUST look. Even if we try not to. What is behind this normal, annoying, and dangerous reaction? It's one more example of distracted driving that Bellingham, WA car accident lawyer Bill Coats looked into, and it turns out, there's a potential bright side for this behavior.
Things not to say if you're pulled over for distracted driving
In the State of Washington, you can be pulled over if an officer thinks you're driving while distracted - even if you are doing everything else right. This is because this behavior is so incredibly dangerous - as much if not more so as driving drunk. For recent research on how risky distracted driving is and what not to say if you're busted for it, click here.
New statistics on distracted driving provide sobering picture
It's no news that distracted driving is a problem, but recent reports show how pervasive it is. Personal injury law firm Bill Coats Law in Bellingham, WA compiles this comparison of common driving distractions and how dangerous is one is.
statistics on distracted driving
It should not be a surprise to anyone anymore - distracted driving is a factor in one out of four car accidents. Whether its from texting, talking on the phone, using GPS, eating, or parenting, distractions while driving are deadly behaviors. Here are latest statistics on this epidemic problem from Bellingham, WA lawyer Bill Coats.
A staggering number of people are on their cell phones while driving at any given moment
660,000. Recent statistics show that's how many people are on their phones while driving at any given moment. Not only is this becoming increasingly illegal by state law, it also means that a texting driver is 25 times more likely to get in an accident. Click here to learn more staggering statistics on distracted driving from Bellingham, WA lawyer Bill Coats.