Signs of a distracted driver
Brandon J. Broderick, Personal Injury Attorney at Law
It’s no secret that distracted driving is an unsafe practice. It leads to about?3,000 deaths per year?in the U.S. alone, as well as countless injuries.?By keeping your eyes out for the signs of a distracted driver, you’ll stay safe on the road whether you’re making the morning commute to work or heading on a long family trip.
Some of the most common signs of distracted driving include:
According to the CDC, each of the?signs of distracted driving?occurs in 1 or more of the 3 different categories based on the nature of said distraction.?
With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at these common signs of distracted driving so you’ll know what to look for on the road.?
Swerving Over the White or Yellow Lines
Swerving over the white or yellow lines on the road is a manual distraction. If you see a car swerving ahead of you, that could mean a person is failing to stay steady as they send a text message. Worse yet, the driver could be falling asleep at the wheel or?under the influence of drugs or alcohol.?
As long as the driver has steady hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions, no swerving should be happening. However, if the car continues to swerve over the lines, it’s a good sign they’re distracted.
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Witnessing Conversation Between the Driver and Passenger
Conversations or arguments while driving are considered cognitive and visual distractions. When in a conversation or argument while in the car, you are thinking about something else other than driving. If attempting to make eye contact with the passenger, you’re visually distracted.
If you are at a stoplight and witness conversation or moving hands in the car, you are near a distracted driver. Whether one or both of the individuals are flailing their hands to make a point in an argument, or you see that the driver has their attention off the road to talk to a passenger, this means they are not paying attention to the stoplight.?
Accelerating Then Slowing Down Way Below Speed Limit
You may have experienced a car in front of you accelerating like normal but then slowing down about 10-20 miles below the speed limit before accelerating again.?
This may mean that the distracted driver was accelerating before receiving a text and the slowing down occurred as a text message was received. The slowing down below the speed limit means that someone is usually in the middle of sending a text message and then accelerated again once the message was sent.?
Besides texting, this could happen if someone is?lighting a cigarette, putting on makeup, checking a GPS, or even trying to pick up something that fell on the passenger side floor.?
A Driver Looking Down At His/Her Lap
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