During the summer, many people get into accidents during their weekend getaways or weeklong family road trips; however, daily commuters also get into their fair share of car accidents. This is because almost every driver engages in some sort of dangerous activity behind the wheel—no matter their age or status. As a result, auto accidents remain one of the leading causes of death in our nation due to driver error and negligence.

While car accidents are frequently caused by texting at the wheel, make no mistake about it—collisions are caused due to a number of reasons, from drivers not getting enough sleep to speeding and driving distracted. You probably have looked over at the driver next to you and have seen him or her texting, but did you know that the driver sipping his or her latte could be just as dangerous to share the road with?

Although teenage drivers participating in texting while driving or posting Facebook comments on their smartphones may seem more dangerous at the wheel than business people sipping on their coffee and talking on their hands-free devices while driving, it might not be the case. According to recent data from Lytx (a leader in video-based driver safety technology), eating and drinking while driving is nearly as dangerous as being distracted by cell phones—both handheld and hands-free.

Risky Driving Behaviors

As indicated in Insurance News Net, the driver monitoring data from Lytx found that there are three dangerous activities that drivers are doing at the wheel daily that could increase the chance of crashing, including:

  1. Eating and drinking. When drivers participate in eating food or drinking coffee, water, or soft drinks at the wheel, they are 3.6 times more likely to be in a crash than drivers who aren’t eating and drinking while driving.
  2. Talking on a hands-free cell phone. Although hands-free devices help drivers eyes stay on the road, hands-free devices still contribute to more collisions. In fact, drivers using hands-free cell phones have a 4.6 greater chance of being in a crash than those drivers not using hands-free devices.
  3. Using a handheld cell phone. When drivers use handheld cell phones or smartphones while driving, they increase their chances of being in a collision 4.7 times over drivers not using handheld devices.

All of these dangerous driving behaviors that drivers engage in greatly increase the risk of a car crash. Because we want to help reduce the amount of traffic accidents on Sarasota streets, we encourage you to refrain from distracted driving. Additionally, we would like to ask you to share this article with those in your social media network by clicking on one of the buttons to the left of the screen in order to help others avoid risky driving activities.

Damian Mallard, Esq.
Connect with me
Board Certified Sarasota Personal Injury Attorney