Every time you drive, you expect to arrive at your destination safely. Still, accidents in and around North Carolina are not exactly uncommon. When accidents occur, motorists or passengers often sustain some type of injury. In fact, in 2017, collisions on North Carolina’s roadways caused injuries to more than 125,000 individuals.
Distracted driving is a primary cause of automobile accidents. While you may not be able to control how other motorists behave, you can commit to alert driving. To do so, you should understand the three types of distractions that may impair your ability to drive.
1. Visual
Visual distractions occur when you take your eyes off the road. Even though you may look at a car crash, beautiful scenery or something else, the result is the same. If you do not keep your eyes on the road, you increase your chances of having a collision.
2. Cognitive
With cognitive distractions, your brain focuses on something besides driving. You may be thinking about a meeting you had at work, trying to understand an argument with your spouse or listening in-depth to a story on the radio. If you are not focusing on driving, though, you may find yourself in the middle of a disastrous accident.
3. Manual
Manual distractions happen when you use your fingers, arms or limbs to perform a task that is not relevant to driving. For example, you may reach for a bottle of soda or type new coordinates into your GPS system. Put simply, you need your hands and feet to operate your vehicle. Using them for another purpose may be dangerous.
As you have probably determined by now, texting behind the wheel involves all three types of distracted driving. Making a call or using a hands-free device may also cause you to experience a variety of distractions. As such, you must commit to staying focused on the road to minimize the odds of an automobile collision.
