With more and more vehicles out on Louisiana roads each new day, the sheer amount of traffic you encounter as a driver can seem hazardous enough in its own right. While you may face little danger if everyone around you is focusing on the task at hand, unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.
You’ve probably witnesses it before, a vehicle remaining stationary after a light turns green, a car drifting slightly in and out of lanes. Distracted driving remains a serious issue across the country, and although you may wish to avoid these individuals, this could prove to be a challenging endeavor.
Distracted driving and the forms it takes
You may wish to know how to spot a possible distracted driver, and doing so could prove essential to reacting in time to prevent a catastrophe. Although there are countless scenarios in which a person can lose focus while driving, such negligence is generally broken down into three categories, which include the following:
- Visual: A visual distraction includes any act that takes a driver’s eyes off the road, such as looking at a billboard or reading a text message or newspaper article. In just a few seconds a vehicle can travel several hundred feet, regardless of whether the driver is watching the road.
- Manual: Any action that forces a driver to take one or both hands off the wheel falls under the manual distraction category. This can include changing a radio station, eating or drinking, and the results of such a decision could prove catastrophic.
- Cognitive: Driving inherently requires a significant portion of one’s concentration, and anything that causes a driver to divert a portion of his or her attention off the task at hand is dangerous. Such actions can range anywhere from making a phone call to carrying on a conversation with passengers.
Certain actions, such as texting, can fall under each category, which makes them exceedingly dangerous. Regardless of the type of distraction, all it takes is one moment of inattention for disaster to strike, and if you encounter such negligence, chances are, you could suffer serious harm in the process.
Advice on what comes next
If the other driver is found culpable of such negligence, you may be entitled to restitution, but proving distraction can be a daunting task. Fortunately, by speaking with someone with experience in the area, you could obtain some much-needed guidance on how best to approach the situation. Seeking assistance early in the process could help you become better prepared to pursue the compensation you deserve through a personal injury claim against the party deemed at fault.
