There’s a lot of misinformation about distracted driving. While it’s true that using a cellphone while driving is extremely dangerous, it may not be as bad as you think. To help educate people on this issue, we’ve assembled three unbelievable facts about distracted driving.
1. Voice Dictation Isn’t Safe
After exposure to a lot of public service announcements about texting while driving, you might think you’re safe to text with voice dictation. That’s simply not true.
Studies show voice dictation is just as dangerous as physically texting. The reason is simple. Cellphones are not magically dangerous. Any activity that takes your mental focus away from the road puts you in danger.
When you use voice-to-text technology, a portion of your brainpower goes away from the road to focus on navigating the menus, formulating a message, and then speaking the words. It’s not the same as talking while driving because imagining how a message looks in text and properly enunciating the words requires greater focus than casually speaking to a passenger.
2. Cellphones Don’t Cause Accidents
It seems to go against everything you’ve ever heard about distracted driving, but it’s true. According to the Georgia Department of Public Safety, distracted driving factors into just 10% of the state’s fatal car accidents.
Of the fatal accidents caused by distracted driving, cellphones were only a factor in 14%. That means less than 2% of all Georgia car accidents are caused by distracted driving.
3. Daydreaming is the Worst Driving Distraction
Cognitive distractions are the top cause of distracted driving. While many distractions have cognitive elements, none is more dangerous and thought-consuming than daydreaming.
According to a study published in Insurance Journal, 60% of fatal distracted driving accidents occurred when one driver was daydreaming or “lost in thought.”
Each of us have a responsibility to keep our minds on the road and snap ourselves back to reality when we begin to doze off or think about all the things we have to do at home. Above all else, safe driving should be your top priority.
If you suffered serious injuries in an accident caused by distracted driving, we are here for you. If you’d like an experienced attorney from Wood Craig Miller to evaluate your claim, please give us a call at or send us an email.
