Did someone on the road with you feel that reading a text message or answering a phone call was more important than your safety? If you were seriously injured in a Massachusetts car accident because someone was driving while distracted, you have every reason to be upset. You shouldn’t have had to pay the price for someone else’s bad decisions.
The distracted driver made a poor choice that negatively affected your life – now it’s your turn to make a decision about what steps you’re going to take to get your life back on track. The personal injury attorneys at Kiley Law Group can help you regain control and recover financial compensation for your injuries and losses.
Kiley Law Group has over 40 years of experience defending the legal rights of car accident victims in Boston and the surrounding area. Our personal injury attorneys represent clients on a contingency fee basis, which means that you don’t pay anything out-of-pocket. Call our Massachusetts law office today at 888-437-2584 or fill out the online evaluation form to schedule your initial free consultation.
What Are the Three Types of Distractions?
Distracted driving is a serious problem that goes beyond texting while driving, not only in Massachusetts but even throughout the entire country. According to recent annual statistics, distracted driving caused over 36,000 motor vehicle-related fatalities.
There are three main types of driver distraction:
- Visual: These distractions are anything that causes you to take your eyes off of the road. Checking your GPS or reading a text message are examples of visual distractions.
- Manual: A manual distraction is anything that causes you to take your hands off of the wheel. Eating, drinking, or smoking are examples of manual distractions.
- Cognitive: This is any distraction that takes your focus and attention away from the task of driving. Using a smartphone or cell phone or talking to passengers in the vehicle with you are examples of cognitive distractions.
There are a number of distracted driving habits that fall under all three of these categories. For example, texting is a visual, manual, and cognitive distraction. It’s easy to see why texting while driving is illegal in Boston and throughout Massachusetts.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Distracted Driving?
The personal injury attorneys at Kiley Law Group have helped clients who have been victims of a number of different types of texting while driving and other distracted driving accidents. After taking on your case, our distracted driving lawyers will investigate the cause of your accident and work hard to ensure that the liable parties are held accountable for the injuries that you suffered as a result of their negligence.
The following are common types of distracted driving habits that Massachusetts drivers should avoid.
Using phones
Smartphones have changed our lives in many ways for the better. They allow us to easily text or video call our friends and family, check our email, and navigate using GPS. However, when people engage in these activities while operating a motor vehicle, they risk harming themselves and others.
According to the NHTSA, it takes an average of 5 seconds to read a text message. If you’re traveling at 55 mph, that’s about how long it takes to cover the length of a football field. During the length of time that you’re reading a text, a pedestrian could step out into the road, the car in front of you could suddenly come to a halt, or any other number of hazards could occur.
State law prohibits drivers from using smartphones, cell phones, or other electronic devices while driving in Massachusetts unless they are in hands-free mode. If the other driver’s smartphone or cell phone use was the cause of your distracted driving accident, contact a personal injury lawyer from Kiley Law Group today.
Adjusting music or temperature controls
Maybe you’re driving in Massachusetts on a cold winter day and you need to turn up the heater, or you don’t like a song on the radio and you want to change the station. It may seem like a simple thing to just turn a knob or push a button, but it takes your focus away from driving and your hand off of the steering wheel. Having your music and car temperature preset can help eliminate this type of driver distraction.
Eating and drinking
Whether you’re unwrapping a hamburger or reaching for your latte, eating and drinking beverages while driving requires you to take your hands off of the wheel. Sometimes drivers even go so far as to use their knees to steer the car while eating or drinking.
Besides being a manual distraction, eating is also a cognitive distraction. Whether you’re thinking about how delicious your meal is or worrying about spilling sauce on your shirt, your focus is on your food and not the road. This means delayed reaction times which can lead to severe car accidents.
While it can be tempting to drink your coffee or eat on your commute to work in Boston each morning, a driver who cares about safety will grab breakfast either before getting behind the wheel or after arriving safely.
Passengers
When considering driving distractions, people often think of calling or texting while driving, but they might not consider fellow passengers to be high on the list. However, the NHTSA lists passengers as a contributing factor in over half of all distracted driving accidents.
While passengers can be a distraction for all age groups, peer passengers are an especially dangerous distraction for teenagers. Statistics show that crash risks among teens double when 1 teen passenger is in the car and triples when 2 or more teens in the vehicle.
While it’s only natural to want to talk to the people who are in the car with you, drivers must remember that paying attention to the road has to take priority. Whether it’s turning to look at the person sitting in the passenger seat or parents turning to talk to their kids in the backseat, passengers can cause drivers to lose their focus and concentration.
Grooming and applying make-up
A person who is running late for work in the morning may feel that he or she can save some time by doing hair, shaving, or applying make-up on the way to work. These types of activities take your hands off the wheel and your eyes off of the road.
Don’t risk your lives or others with this distracted driving habit. Make sure you’re ready for work or school before you head out the door, not while you’re already driving your vehicle.
Compensation After Your Massachusetts Distracted Driving Accident
After being involved in a Massachusetts distracted driving accident, you may be surprised how quickly you hear from the insurance company. The adjuster’s goal is to get you to settle for as low an amount as possible. While it may be tempting to accept a quick settlement offer from an insurance company, it is not usually in your best interests to do so. It may be far too early to tell how extensive the damages of your case are.
A personal injury attorney will be able to accurately calculate the value of your claim and ensure that you receive the full amount of financial compensation that you’re entitled to. While a monetary settlement can in no way completely erase the suffering the distracted driver has caused you and your family, the money can provide the financial security that you need to move forward during this difficult time.
A distracted driving lawyer from our law office in Boston, Massachusetts, may be able to help you recover damages for:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Loss of earning potential
- Disability
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Wrongful death
Schedule a Free Consultation With a Massachusetts Personal Injury Lawyer Today
At Kiley Law Group, we want to do our part to raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving and promote Massachusetts safe driving practices. In addition, when these types of car accidents do happen, our distracted driving accident lawyers are here to help.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed due to the negligent actions of a distracted driver, you may be entitled to financial damages. Our personal injury lawyers have been working with Boston car accident victims for over 40 years. We have helped our valued clients recover over $500 million, and we can do the same for you.
The car accident lawyers at Kiley Law Group firmly believe that when distracted drivers cause injury to those they share the road with, they should be held accountable for their negligence. We also feel that everyone deserves excellent legal representation, regardless of their current financial situation. This is why we represent our clients on a contingency fee basis: you owe us nothing until we win your case.
Contact our law office today at 888-437-2584 or fill out the online evaluation form to schedule your free consultation.
