It seems as though everyone focuses on texting when discussing distracted driving. Of course, there is good reason to do so since it is an ever-increasing problem. However, most Minnesota residents would agree that it is far from the only distraction that causes car accidents.
Long before everyone had a cellphone, people did a variety of things while driving that took their attention off the road. They ate their breakfast, put on makeup, shaved and took care of other grooming activities that they should have done before leaving the house. People read newspapers, books and maps. Now, in addition to continuing to engage in these distractions, people use GPS devices, watch movies and post on social media.
All of these activities and more cause people to take their hands off the steering wheel, take their eyes off the road and their minds tend to wander. Even one of these results of a distraction could prove deadly. The primary reason why there is such a focus on texting and driving is that it demands all three. What many people do not realize is that every distraction demands all three perhaps just to a lesser degree. Even small distractions could prove deadly.
Any number of factors can lead to car accidents, but distracted driving is one that is entirely preventable. Drivers choose whether to allow themselves to become distracted while operating a moving vehicle that acts like a missile and can cause great devastation when it crashes into another object or person. Minnesota residents who end up the victim of another person’s distraction could end up suffering serious injuries and sustaining substantial financial and other losses. For this reason, state law allows the filing of personal injury claims in pursuit of restitution for those losses.