Oklahoma City Drivers Must Avoid Distraction

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and motorists throughout Tulsa, Oklahoma City and surrounding areas should take some time to think about the behaviors that they do in their vehicles that cause them to take their focus off the road.

A personal injury lawyer knows that one of the most distracting things that most motorists do is texting.

A recent survey of almost 2,000 drivers conducted by Erie Insurance found about one third of all motorists text while driving. However, younger drivers under the age of 34 text significantly more than other motorists. A total of 51 percent of drivers in this age group text while operating their vehicles, compared with just seven percent of drives aged 65 and up.

Texting and driving, talking on a cell phone and using other electronic devices are widely considered the most dangerous of the distracted driving behaviors. Texting alone can increase the risk of a collision by 23 times. However, while the use of electronics in the car is a major concern, electronic devices are not the only things that can cause a motorist to become distracted.

Other Types of Distracting Driver Behavior

Erie Insurance conducted an online study of 1,915 drivers in the United States who were at least 18-years-old. As Forbes reports, the motorists were asked in which distracting behaviors they engaged behind the wheel. The troubling results showed far too many people are not focusing on the road. Some are spending a significant amount of time with their attentions diverted For example, drivers were found to be:

• Engaged in romantic encounters. Fifteen percent of drivers kissed a partner or engaged in some other type of public display of affection at the same time as they were operating their car.
• Doing grooming activities. Various types of grooming account for a huge number of distracted driving incidents. For example, 15 percent of drivers said they had combed their hair as they drove and eight percent said they had applied makeup while operating their cars.
• Changing their clothing. Drivers actually physically altered their wardrobe, doing things like buttoning or zipping up clothing or puling shirts or sweaters over their heads instead of paying attention to cars around and in front of them. A total of nine percent of motorists admitted they had changed clothing.
• Brushing or flossing. These activities generally require two hands and can also require a driver to put tooth paste on a brush and access water while trying to drive. Four percent of drivers actually did these things while driving.
• Taking “selfies.” Selfies, or self-portraits, have become extremely popular among both children and adults. Taking selfies is immensely distracting because you are focused on getting the camera into a perfect picture zone. Three percent of people allowed their focus to shift to taking selfies while they were driving.
• Changing drivers. Three percent of motorists did this while driving.
• Using the bathroom. Finally, three percent of drivers actually went to the bathroom as they drove.

Drivers need to be aware that these and other distracting behaviors are dangerous and can make a motor vehicle accident significantly more likely.

An attorney at Lawter & Associates, Attorneys at Law, PLLC can help after a motor vehicle accident. Call 866-584-1027 or 866-584-1028 for a free case evaluation. Serving Tulsa, Oklahoma City and surrounding areas. 

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