Whether you’re a full-time Pennsylvania resident or one of many travelers who visit the beautiful Keystone State on vacation, you likely will find yourself in some high-traffic areas from time to time. Highway speeds are a lot faster nowadays than they used to be. Avoiding collision can be quite challenging when vehicles are moving at 70 miles per hour.
When you adhere to all traffic laws and safety regulations and stay alert and cautious behind the wheel, you can reasonably expect to reach your destination without incident. If a distracted driver is nearby, however, your safety is greatly at risk. You’re not in control of another person’s vehicle, which means if he or she isn’t focused on the task at hand while driving, you might be the one to suffer injuries because of that distraction.
Most dangerous driving behaviors
If a driver is lost in thought or looking at something on the roadside instead of watching the road in front and immediately surrounding his or her vehicle, that driver is distracted and at risk for causing a collision. The following list shows additional types of distracted driving behavior that often lead to accidents resulting in injuries:
- You might enjoy listening to music while you drive. However, adjusting radio knobs is one of the most common manual distractions that often lead to collisions.
- Just as it’s dangerous to change the dial on a car radio while driving, many Pennsylvania motorists get careless when they scroll through song playlists on their cellphones while they’re behind the wheel.
- Have you ever eaten a burger or sipped a cup of coffee while driving? If so, you were manually distracted at the time.
- Reaching for an item in a pocketbook or the back seat of a vehicle is also a manual distraction that places drivers, passengers and other travelers at great risk for injury.
It’s quite common for people to eat or drink hot or iced drinks while they drive, yet many don’t realize just how dangerous this and other distracted driving behaviors can be.
If a distracted driver hits you
A sudden collision can have lasting implications in your life. In addition to physical injuries, you might have to take time off work to recuperate. Suffering injuries in a car accident can be emotionally traumatic as well. Plus, there are the medical bills and other financial consequences associated with the incident.
There’s no reason you should be the one to foot the entire bill when you weren’t the one who caused the accident. This is why state law enables recovering accident victims to seek monetary judgment against those deemed responsible for their injuries.