Cellphone use has become ubiquitous in our society, and most people these days wonder just how we managed without them. However, there is one time when you should put the phone down — while you are driving. This is because distracted driving is a major issue in the Hackensack area and across the nation, leading to catastrophic car crashes.
The dangers of texting and driving
Texting and driving is one form of distracted driving that has received a lot of attention in recent years and for good reason. Texting and driving encompasses all three ways a driver could be distracted behind the wheel. When you are reading a text or responding to one, you are looking at your phone, not the road — a visual distraction. Answering a text and sending one means your hands are on your phone not the steering wheel — a manual distraction. Finally, reading a text or deciding how to respond to one takes your attention off the task of driving — a cognitive distraction.
Texting is not the only way a driver can be distracted
Texting and driving is a common distraction people engage in while behind the wheel, but there are others. Eating while driving, manipulating a GPS system or the radio, chatting with passengers or combing your hair or putting on makeup while driving can all distract you from the task of driving.
All drivers in New Jersey are tasked with driving with due care. If this duty is breached due to distractive driving, causing a car accident that injures or kills another person, the distracted driver could face liability. Personal injury attorneys can be a useful resource to those injured in a crash caused by a distracted driver.