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Disadvantages Of Distracted Driving

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It Won’t Happen to Me… SMH…LOL Today 9 people were killed and 1,000 more were injured in crashes that were reported to involve a distracted driver1. Tomorrow there will be 9 more fatalities and 1,000 more injuries secondary to distracted driving. Distracted driving is “driving while not fully paying attention to the road”2 and can occur in a multitude of ways. However, distracted driving can be summed up in three main types: visual, manual, and cognitive. Visual distracted driving is when you take your eyes off the road. Manual distracted driving is when you take you hands off the wheel. Cognitive distracted driving is when you take you mind off of driving.2 Collisions occur in a split second, yet can change lives forever. While …show more content…

Today, texting while driving has become all too common. Texting while driving is especially dangerous because it combines all three types of distraction.3 Sending or reading a text message takes your eyes off the road for about 5 seconds, long enough to cover a football field while driving at 55 mph.4 On March 26th, 2010, at approximately 0514 CT, Bowling Green, KSP Post received a call that a truck-tractor semitrailer had collided with a passenger van on Interstate 65 near Munfordville, Ky. Investigation determined a 45 year-old male operating the semi departed the left lane while traveling southbound on Interstate 65. The driver crossed a 60-foot-wide median, struck a cable barrier system, entered the northbound lanes of travel and struck a 15 passenger van driven by a 41 year-old male. The van was occupied by 11 passengers (eight adults, two small children, and an infant). The truck driver and 10 of the 12 passengers of the van were killed. Investigators were able to determine that the driver of the semi had used his mobile phone for calls and text messages a total of 69 times while driving in a 24 hour period prior to the crash. 5 The driver made four calls in the minutes leading up to the crash, making the last call at 0514 CT, the same time the truck left the roadway. This crash gained attention nationwide and was pivotal in establishing new laws and regulations for the

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