9 out of 10 People Admit to Distracted Driving

August 07, 2018, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

Distracted driving is a problem we are all familiar with. We see it daily, and we are all guilty of it at times. Whether the distraction takes the form of checking your phone, taking a call, yelling at the kids, fiddling with the overly complicated radio or guidance systems, or dropping our fries in our laps, it takes our minds from the job at hand which is driving.

Breakfast Television out of Toronto reported on an Allstate Insurance Canada survey and they reported that 9 out of 10 people admit to distracted driving. The blame lays primarily on new technology in the cars which is steering driver attention away from the road.  The ever-burgeoning dashboard displays with multi media info systems, talk to text, blue tooth, and radio that the car companies are pushing are much to blame for the distractions. It takes a long time to learn to use the systems, and rather than having a few knobs which can be manipulated easily to perform tasks like changing the radio station or heat and fan settings, we now must deal with drop down menus on displays which take attention away from the road.

According to the report,

“Many drivers admit to using driver-assisted technology while behind the wheel. Close to four-out-of-ten (38 per cent) say they use integrated functions to change the music or use the hands-free multimedia option (35 per cent) to text or read emails. Close to a quarter say they use their phones (25 per cent) to make or take a call, text or take a picture, or adjust the GPS (23 per cent) while driving.”

Many people don’t even realize that some of these tasks take attention away from driving but they do, and that lack of attention to the road causes accidents. The temptation to peek at your phone, or watch a movie can be too great for many people. Here are some safety tips to help you NOT be distracted while behind the wheel of the car.

• Keep your phone on silent and out of reach
• Put your phone on ‘do not disturb mode’ if it’s available
• Integrate all of your devices into your car (phone, GPS, music)
• Pay attention to the road. Remember that eating, playing with your music, taking pictures and programming your GPS all take attention away from the road
• Take regular breaks when you are driving. Use that time for a quick walk, drink or food, and to check your media if you need to
• Get your passengers to handle the ‘stuff’ and you handle the driving

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

It is important that you review your accident benefit file with one of our experienced personal injury / car accident lawyers to ensure that you obtain access to all your benefits which include, but are limited to, things like physiotherapy, income replacement benefits, vocational retraining and home modifications.