car insurance Dallas: driver distraction, a main cause of accidents

We are all guilty of being distracted when we get behind the wheel of our car. Driving has become such a basic skill that most people think they can multi task when driving a car and don’t even think about the dangers when not giving driving your undivided attention.
Especially on the well known routes where we drive every day we feel almost invincible. And this is what is causing so many accidents. Just remember you’re not the only one driving and how silly some new laws may seem they do keep people safe. This article will show you some examples:

DISTRACTIONS

If you’re heading to a grocery store a couple blocks away, you’d better buckle up and put down your cell phone. Statistics show that driver distraction is one of the main causes of accidents among drivers 18 to 34 years old. In fact, in 2007, 80 percent of the crashes and 65 percent of the near-crashes involved some kind of driver distraction.

In the same year, 77 percent of the drivers involved in an accident were less than 15 miles from home, and more than half of these drivers were less than five miles away from their houses. High-accident intersections are especially dangerous, and most cities have a few. If you live in an accident-prone area, insurance companies will assume your accident risk is higher and charge you accordingly. You can reduce the risk of accident just by avoiding distractions.

If you’re lost in thought or talking on a cell phone, then you’re not paying attention to the road. Even if you’re looking straight ahead, you may not really see what’s ahead of you. Fatigue can also lead to this type of distraction. If you find yourself spacing out, pull over, get out of the car for a bit, and wait till you regain your focus before driving.

Digging for a CD or browsing a play list is considered distractions. Any task that takes more than a couple seconds to be concluded may cause an accident. Dialing a number or testing on your cell phone is also not good.

If your radio is too loud, you’re talking on your hands-free cell phone or the DVD player is blaring, than you’re in trouble. Loud, consistent noises inside your car contribute to driver distraction. Turn them off or turn them down. Way down!

If you need to adjust your seat or your mirrors, do these things before you are in motion. If you try to adjust a side view mirror while driving, that means you’re not looking at the road ahead of you. It is also a very a good idea to plug in your car charger before you start driving.

Did you notice a pattern with cell phones? That is why so many places banned the use of cell phones during driving. It’s simply a safety issue.

Six states in the U.S. have banned the use of cell phones while driving: California, Connecticut, D.C., New Jersey, New York, Utah and Washington. In all but Utah and Washington, D.C., drivers can receive tickets for using cell phones. And, in other states, some individual cities have laws against it.

In 18 states and in the U.S. capital, young drivers are banned or restricted from using cell phones: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Texting with a cell phone is banned in 13 states and in the U.S. capital: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado (beginning 12/09), California, Connecticut, D.C., Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.

Article courtesy of YourOnlineAutoInsuranceQuote.com

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