Top Distractions Leading to Car Accidents | Seattle Personal Injury Lawyer

Blog Categories:

Take your eyes off the road for a few seconds and you could easily find yourself in a catastrophic Seattle car accident. As a Bellevue personal injury lawyer and the founder of Teens Against Distracted Driving, I’ve see this happen again and again.

Numerous studies have shown that an alarming number of auto accidents are caused by distracted drivers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, about 80 percent of all collisions and 65 percent of near-collisions involve some form of distraction three seconds before the accident.

Not surprisingly, the most common form of distraction is the use of a cell phone or texting device. However, studies suggest that talking and listening while driving can be just as dangerous.

Here are several other top driving distractions you’ll want to avoid:

• Reaching for a moving object increases the risk of a car accident by 9 times.
• Looking at scenery increases the risk of collision by 3.7 times
• Reading (by 3 times)
• Applying makeup (by 3 times)
• Dialing a hand-held device (by 3 times)
• Talking or listening on a hand-held device (by 1.3 times)

And a few more common distractions include:

• Drinking
• Eating
• Shaving
• Lighting a cigarette
• Singing
• Adjusting the radio
• Other Car accidents on the road

These activities can greatly increase your likelihood of being involved in a car crash. Not only do they blind you from the road ahead, but they also significantly slow reaction time. If you feel you must talk on a cell phone or light a cigarette, we strongly suggest you pull over. It will ensure a smoother and safer ride to your destination.

This information is provided by Straight Talk Law, where you can order free information on Seattle auto accidents, buying Washington car insurance, and other valuable legal information, offered as a public service by King County personal injury attorney and author Jason Epstein and his Seattle auto accident, Everett motorcycle accident, and Bellevue wrongful death law firm in Seattle, Washington.