ow Do Distractions Contribute to Crashes?

Drivers need to focus on multiple things while on the road. Just one distraction has the potential to lead to a serious crash.

But how can distractions actually impact a person’s risk of crashing? Do distractions contribute to crash statistics?

Forms of distraction

The NHTSA discusses contributions to car crashes, such as driver distraction. Distractions cover three separate categories: visual, mental and physical.

Visual distractions involve anything that takes one’s eyes off the road. Physical distractions take one’s hands away from the wheel. Mental distractions encompass a wide range and include anything that removes a driver’s attention from the actual task of driving. This can include anything from focusing on directions to a new place, or thinking about what to make for dinner that night.

Distractions pose a huge threat to drivers because they drastically cut down on a driver’s ability to react to dangers right in front of them. For example, many rear-end car crashes happen because a driver gets distracted and does not realize that the car in front of them has come to a sudden stop.

Distractions make up many dangerous activities

Some experts actually speculate that distractions make up a huge number of some of the most dangerous crashes across the country. This makes sense, considering major disruptive driving behaviors like texting while driving and drowsy driving fall under the umbrella of “distracted driving”. Each of these types of driving results in many high-injury or even deadly crashes every year.

Thus, distractions prove a major hurdle to drivers everywhere. Fortunately, having an awareness of the dangers of distracted driving is the first step to properly combat them.