Whether you drive a car or ride a motorcycle, driving/riding defensively is the key to avoiding a crash caused by other people. The proliferation of tech gadgets has made distracted driving as big a danger to public safety as drunk driving. Although distracted and drunk driving are vastly different, both cause serious driver impairment.
Spotting a distracted driver is as simple as looking for a cell phone held close to the driver’s head. However, other gadgets are kept out of sight such as dashboard mounted devices or when they’re held in the person’s lap. In addition, viewing a driver engaged in distraction isn’t possible at night. A better method is looking for signs of impairment in the motorist’s driving. Here are four signs:
- Slow response time. Because the distracted driver’s brain isn’t fully engaged in driving, his or her responses to changing road situations are slow. This is often seen at stop signs and traffic lights. The distracted driver takes several more seconds to react to a green light or may wait out several traffic openings at a stop sign before pulling into traffic.
- Driving too fast or too slow. Distracted drivers may lose track of their speed and drive too fast or may overcompensate by driving too slow. They may also change their speed for no apparent reason.
- Inability to maintain lane position. This is the hallmark of the visually distracted person. The eyes are directed at the dashboard or something in the person’s lap for several seconds at a time. This causes the car to drift out of their lane.
- Erratic movements. The visually distracted may over steer with hard and quick corrections when their eyes occasionally check the road.
The above signs also apply to drunk drivers. Whether caused by alcohol or distraction, impaired drivers endanger everyone on the road. Give them a wide berth and assume they don’t see you. If such a driver injures you in an accident, don’t hesitate to seek legal help from experienced and dedicated lawyers. Contact us today.