Like most states, Georgia has both busy city highways and quiet rural roads. No matter which type of roadway you travel, you might be at great risk for injury if a distracted driver is nearby. The problem is that you can’t always tell which drivers are dealing with a distraction because some types of distraction are not immediately apparent.
Distracted drivers cause many fatalities and injuries throughout the nation every year. If you survive a distracted driving accident and later learn that the person who hit you was texting at the time or was taking selfie pictures behind the wheel, you might feel a sudden surge of anger and frustration, knowing that your accident was preventable.
These behaviors place you most at risk
Current data shows that at least one in 10 fatal collisions involves a distracted driver. The following list includes the most frequently reported distractions that make driving in Georgia a risky endeavor:
- One of the greatest distractions for motorists happens to be daydreaming. This is an example of a distraction you cannot see.
- As many as 62 percent of distracted drivers say they never saw the pedestrians they hit or the cars with which they collided because they lost their train of thought when their accidents occurred.
- In addition to using a hand-held electronic device to text while driving, any cell phone use, even if using Bluetooth or a speaker phone, can be equally dangerous.
- When you drive with passengers in your car, it’s a good idea to be wary of too much interaction with them while you’re navigating roadways. Talking to or looking at other vehicle occupants is a top-listed type of driving distraction.
- Do you smoke? Do you smoke while driving? If so, you and all others near or in your vehicle are at risk for a distracted driving collision.
If you notice another motorist exhibiting one or more of these distracted driving behaviors, you are wise to try to create as much distance between you as possible. There is no guarantee, however, that you’ll always be able to do so. Car crashes often happen suddenly, without warning, and a distracted driver might hit you before you have a chance to react.
Then what?
If you suffer injury in a Georgia car accident that a distracted driver caused, why should you be the one responsible to pay all the medical bills and other expenses associated with the crash? The state allows you to pursue justice in civil court. Many past accident victims have successfully done so and were able to obtain economic recovery of their losses.