If you live or work in Tennessee, then you know just how much you rely on your car to get you to and from your home, your work and your favorite day trips. While you might obey the rules of the road, you cannot account for other people – and the studies show that other people are distracted while they drive. In 2015, there were at least 16,599 car crashes involving distracted drivers. The National Safety Council has also pointed out that our state has a higher percentage of distracted driver fatalities than other states of similar size and with similar populations.

There are several types of distractions you face as a driver. Cell phone use is the main contributor, but a driver can also be distracted while:

• Eating and drinking
• Shaving or applying makeup
• Reading maps or newspapers
• Playing with the radio
• Watching videos
• Talking to passengers
• Using onboard technologies such as CPS navigation, talk-to-text programs or text message reading programs

Using a mobile device is considered the most dangerous distraction since you use your visual, manual, and cognitive abilities in order to type on it. Whether you are texting or tagging yourself on Facebook, or trying to contact someone to let him or her know you will be late, you run the risk of being severely injured if you text and drive.

Distracted driving statistics

Sadly, many drivers believe that car accidents happen to “other” people, or that their driving skills are exceptional enough that they can avoid an accident even while distracted. The truth is:

• 3,154 people died and roughly 424,000 people were injured in vehicle accidents in 2013 (the most recent year available) because of distracted driving.
• Since 2010, roughly 660,000 drivers use cellphones or other electronic devices while driving during daytime hours.
• Reports indicate that using handheld or portable devices while driving triples the likelihood of crashing.
• On average, five seconds pass as you pull your eyes away from the road to text while you are driving. (Politifact confirms that yes, you could travel the entire length of a football field in this time).

Types of injuries associated with distracted drivers

A car accident is always dangerous, regardless of the circumstances. Because distracted drivers are not looking at the road, they will most likely not see a stopped car or road debris. This means that in an accident with a distracted driver, you are likely to be hit with the full force of the car. Such an accident can lead to:

• Traumatic brain injuries
• Back and spinal cord injuries, leading to paralysis
• Broken bones
• Internal organ damage
• Internal bleeding
• Permanent scarring from lacerations
• Loss of vision or hearing
• Loss of limb
• Post-traumatic stress disorder

We want you to be safe on the road, but we know you cannot control the actions of others. If you are injured as a result of an automobile accident, you may have grounds for a legal claim. The Sevierville automobile accident attorneys at the Delius & McKenzie are familiar with the legal processes that follow automobile accidents. For more information, please fill out our contact form. We proudly serve Sevierville, Gatlinburg, and Pigeon Forge.