How Big Is St. Pete’s Distracted Driving Problem?
Michael Babboni
Car Accidents
In 2020, distracted driving played a role in 8% of all fatal motor vehicle accidents in the United States. In all accidents causing injury, 20% were caused by distracted driving, which amounts to over 400,000 injuries. This issue isn’t getting better, and as a matter of fact 2022 statistics show that it’s actually getting worse.In St. Petersburg, drivers are driving distracted. As a matter of fact, Florida has seen increased distracted and reckless driving numbers going into 2023 along with the rest of the country. What can Florida motorists do? The best course of action is to make the road your number one priority each time you get behind the wheel.
Smartphones Are A Driving Factor
There are a number of different ways to “drive distracted”, and some many motorists don’t really consider in the moment. Taking your breakfast or lunch on the road is a form of distracted driving. Fiddling with the radio, a GPS, or the air conditioning system in the vehicle is distracted driving. Digging through a purse to find change for a toll while you’re in motion is distracted driving as well. While any of these actions can lead to a distracted driving accident, there’s one habit that remains ahead of the pack.
According to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, using a smartphone while driving reduces the driver’s attention by around 37%. Using a smartphone while driving causes around 1.6 million auto accidents across the United States each year, and drivers who are using their phone while driving are 23 times more likely to find themselves in an accident during any given trip.
Why Is Smartphone Usage So Dangerous?
Why is using a smartphone more dangerous than eating, rifling through a bag, or changing the radio station? There are a few reasons. First and foremost, it takes your eyes off of the road. Each time a driver takes their eyes from the road while driving, their likelihood of getting into an accident increases by as much as 400%. Losing visual attention of the road is one category of distracted driving.
Next, it can take your cognitive attention from the road. While texting, surfing, or talking, your splitting your attention between what you’re doing with a phone and what’s going on around you. This can cause you to miss vehicles turning ahead of you, an animal running into the road, a sudden curve, or any sort of obstacle. While driving, attention should be completely dedicated to the road ahead, and using a smartphone steals quite a bit of your cognitive ability.
Using a smartphone also takes use of your hands. A safe driver should have both of their hands on the steering wheel at all times, and anything that takes your hands off of the wheel can take some of your ability to react quickly and safely. While texting, calling, or using a smartphone in any capacity, one or both hands will be removed from where they should be.
Using a smartphone while driving hits every item on the distracted driving checklist – it takes away cognitive attention, manual attention, and visual attention from your surroundings. It’s also an action that appeals to teens who have limited driving experience and often too much confidence as well. Many teens don’t realize just how dangerous distracted driving with a phone is, and a whopping 42% of high school aged teens admit to texting or emailing while behind the wheel. Inexperienced drivers driving deeply distracted puts all motorists on the road at risk.
If you’ve been in an accident with a distracted driver in St. Petersburg, know that you are not alone. To learn how our representation can help you to get the compensation you deserve, contact us today.