Distracted driving happens when someone does anything that draws their attention away from driving. A driver may have their attention averted through visual, manual and cognitive distractions. For example, a driver looking at a wreck on the other side of the roadway may be visually distracted. Or, if trying to eat while driving, the driver may be manually distracted.

The all-time biggest cause of distracted driving accidents is phones. Nearly everyone has a phone. Let’s look at a few of the reasons phones are dangerous for drivers:

The dangers of phone use while driving

Phones are essentially made to attract people’s attention. If phones didn’t make high-pitch notifications and ringtones, then many people would miss important texts and calls. Furthermore, many phone applications send many notifications throughout the day, notifying users of emails, private messages, alerts and reminders. 

Many people believe they’re good at multitasking, which is why many people pick up their phones while driving and scroll through their notifications. However, multitasking increases the likelihood of making errors. As a result, a driver may increase their chance of causing an auto accident.

How to reduce texting-and-driving accidents

Many drivers don’t have the option to leave their phones at home, but phone distraction can be reduced. Drivers can start by turning off their notifications. Most phones have silent or driving modes that can be enabled once a car starts to move. These settings can hide and reduce notifications.

The habit of using a phone can be hard for people and turning off the sound on a phone just isn’t enough. Drivers may consider putting their phones out of reach before they start their cars. Or, drivers can turn off their phones entirely. 

A distracted driving accident can cause irreparable damage to victims. Victims may need to learn about their legal options when seeking compensation for their injuries and losses.