It’s no secret that phones are distracting for drivers. Texting and driving is especially problematic, but there are many related issues. Drivers get distracted as they take pictures, stream songs through a music service, type in a destination for their navigation system and much more.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes that distracted driving typically takes three different forms. But what you’ll see is that texting and driving fits into all three categories, which is why it is one of the most dangerous things that drivers can do.
What are the categories?
The categories are manual distractions, visual distractions and cognitive distractions. The first refers to any sort of physical distraction, such as letting go of the wheel to pick up something that fell on the floor. The second refers to anything that causes a driver to look away from the road, such as when they are gawking at an accident that has already occurred. The final is just a mental distraction, such as when a driver is daydreaming about what they are going to do after work.
But cellphones are problematic because they cause drivers to do all three of these things at once. The driver picks up their phone, which is a manual distraction. They look down at the screen instead of the road, which is a visual distraction. They then have to read the text message, think about what they’re writing, or think about other actions – such as what song to pick or what destination to type in. All of these are cognitive distractions that take their attention away from driving.
This is why cellphones cause so many car accidents every year. Those who have been injured need to know how to seek financial compensation.
