April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

April has been designated as Distracted Driving Awareness month. The national safety campaign aims to draw attention to the dangers of distracted driving and how to prevent the behavior. Distracted driving continues to be a major factor in car accidents that resulting in fatalities and devastating injuries. Driver distractions include texting while driving, talking on the phone, eating or drinking, adjusting dials on the car console, and much more. It impacts the driver by reducing their visual, manual, and cognitive faculties while operating a vehicle and may lead to a serious crash.

Distracted Driving Statistics

When traveling to work, school, or any other destination, motorists and passengers may observe the behavior of other drivers and witness the multiple distractions that affect their ability to drive safely. In some cases, the driver may not even realize how often they engage in distractions and how dangerous they can be. According to recent statistics, nearly 10 people die and hundreds more are injured every day in distracted driving accidents. In another study by PennDOT, distracted driving was factor in more than 16,000 crashes in Pennsylvania in a single year.

Factors Contributing to Distracted Driving

Studies suggest that younger drivers tend to take more risks and are more likely to engage in dangerous behaviors like distracted driving. Understandably, the risk of causing an accident increases in urban areas with narrower roadways, more pedestrians, and congestion in general.

The design of roads, from the length of the thoroughfare and the number of lanes, to the location of the highway, plays a part in accident risk. Even the presence or lack of medians and roundabouts factored into how often crashes occur that involve distracted driving.

Distracted Driving Prevention

Despite the widespread national campaigns detailing the dangers of distracted driving, it continues to present a significant hazard on the road that results in tragic accidents and life-altering injuries. Putting down the phone or using a hands-free device may lessen the risks as well as limiting other distractions and focusing on the road. Another program suggested to eliminate or alleviate the incidence of distracted driving accidents involves providing incentives for supporting “good behavior” while on the road, such as insurance discounts.

Philadelphia Accident Lawyers at Freedman & Lorry, P.C. Stand Up for Those Injured in Distracted Driving Accidents

If you or a loved one has been injured in a distracted driving accident, call the Philadelphia accident lawyers at Freedman & Lorry, P.C. at 888-999-1962 or contact us online. We represent injured accident victims throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and North Carolina from our offices in Philadelphia, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and Pinehurst, North Carolina.