Herbert Thornbury has been a car accident lawyer in the Chattanooga area for decades. He's seen all sorts of car accidents, and all sorts of causes of these accidents. There are a lot of things that can go wrong on the road.
But there's no doubt that one of the most common causes of car accidents is distracted driving. These days, there are so many opportunities for a driver to operate a vehicle without giving his or her full attention to the road.
Distracted driving is never acceptable. Mr. Thornbury can help if you suffered serious injuries in a car accident caused by distracted driving. You deserve the compensation to which you are entitled.
Causes of Distracted Driving
Operating a motor vehicle is inherently a rather dangerous activity. There's a lot you can do to make it less dangerous and one of the most basic, but important safety steps you can take is to pay attention. Driving a motor vehicle requires your full attention – it's not something you can do while multi-tasking.
Of course, some people still try and when they do, they put innocent people at risk. In 2017, we all have infinite means of distraction at our fingertips every second of the day. Some people find this temptation overwhelming.
Here are some of the ways drivers can get distracted while behind the wheel:
- Texting while driving: These days, texting while driving is exceptionally common. Hundreds of thousands of accidents every year involve texting in some capacity. It probably shouldn't need to be said, but it clearly needs to be: texting while driving is incredibly dangerous. It takes your eyes and mind off the road, and it takes your hands off the wheel. This makes it tough to react quickly or to spot potential dangers.
- Conversations in the car: Socializing is great, but conversation with a friend or family member can take a driver's mind from the task at hand, especially when you turn your head to face the person you're speaking to. You don't need to swear a vow of silence when you get behind the wheel, of course, but a driver does need to prioritize, and driving needs to be priority one.
- Personal tasks: Obviously, a lot of people in the Chattanooga area drive themselves to work. And some of them are rather pressed for time. As a result, a lot of folks try to use their time behind the wheel to take care of certain personal tasks, such as applying makeup, shaving or even reading the news. This can all wait until after you leave the car.
- Scenery gazing: Tennessee is a picturesque state, whether you're winding your way through the Great Smoky Mountains or navigating scenic Chattanooga. There's nothing wrong with admiring the scenery a bit as you drive, but again, your attention needs to be on the road. Spend too much time looking at mountains or buildings and not enough time looking at the car ahead of you, and you can find yourself in a serious accident without seeing it coming.
This isn't exactly an exhaustive list, of course. You can easily add non-texting phone activities and operating a GPS device, among other actions, to this group. But it does provide a clear sense of just how easy it is to get distracted while behind the wheel.
Mr. Thornbury knows how to thoroughly investigate a car accident in order to determine its cause. If the accident that injured you was the result of distracted driving, our comprehensive, professional investigation will be able to discover this. There are no guarantees in personal injury law, but distracted driving is not acceptable, and it's often a compelling point in a car accident case.
Call us as soon as you can after your accident so that we can discuss your case and begin an investigation while evidence and memories are still fresh.
If you need an experienced car accident lawyer in or around Chattanooga, Tennessee, please call Herbert Thornbury, Attorney at Law today at 423-443-3973 for a free consultation.
