As awareness about distracted driving has increased over the years, most people seem to fully grasp that things like texting and driving raise the risks on the road. They know they shouldn’t go on Facebook on their phones or take pictures while behind the wheel.
This is a good place to start, but distracted driving can actually take a lot of different forms, some of which are fairly surprising. It’s important to know about as many different types as you can so that you do not accidentally get distracted and get into an accident. Some examples of distracted driving include:
- Driving when you’re feeling too emotional, such as when you’re sad about breaking up with a significant other or you’re angry about a disagreement with your boss at work.
- Driving with your pets in the car. Unrestrained pets can get loose and, perhaps just meaning to play, can cause some serious distractions.
- Driving with your favorite song on the radio. Yes, changing the song on the radio or your phone is clearly a distraction, but so is cranking up a song you love and singing along.
- Seeing bugs or insects in the car. You need to be ready to react rationally and carefully when you see a spider, a bee or anything else unexpected.
- Driving with children in the car. You may not be able to keep from driving with them if you’re a parent, but they are distracting and you need to have clear rules to mitigate this distraction.
Avoiding distractions yourself is a great start, but another driver could still hit your car while distracted. You may have a right to compensation.