Wisconsinites may see an increase in traffic this Fourth of July weekend, and in fact, this is a time of year when more people are traveling to go to parties or festivals to celebrate our nation’s independence. Unfortunately, when more people are on the road, the greater the chance is that car accidents will occur. Many of these car crashes will be caused by distracted drivers.
Distracted driving is a serious issue any time of the year. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each day around nine people across the nation lose their life and over 1,000 suffer injuries in collisions involving a distracted driver. In 2016 alone, almost 3,500 individuals died in distracted driving collisions. In addition, in 2015, around 391,000 individuals suffered injuries in car accidents involving a distracted driver.
There are three general categories of behavior that lead to distracted driving. First, there are visual distractions that take a motorist’s eyes off the road. Second, there are manual distractions in which the motorist takes their hands off the vehicle’s steering wheel. Third, there are cognitive distractions, in which a person’s attention is taken away from the task of driving. Texting while driving involves all these distractions, making it especially dangerous.
So, this Fourth of July weekend it is important not to engage in distracted driving. Unfortunately, some people will disregard the dangers distracted driving poses, and will cause a car accident. Victims of such accidents may want to pursue a personal injury claim against the distracted driver who caused the crash. Compensation sought may include recover for medical expenses, lost wages, emotional distress and more.
