June 7, 2024
The Dangers of Eating While Driving: Stay Safe with Injury LawStars
Distracted driving is a leading cause of car crashes throughout Florida and the United States. Distracted driving could be texting and cell phone use, however, eating, drinking, adjusting music controls, and reading navigation systems can be equally as troublesome. If you were harmed in a Florida distracted driving incident, you could be entitled to compensation. Consider sitting down with skilled Florida car accident attorneys for a free consultation right away.
Can Eating While Driving Lead to Accidents?
A recent survey found that 56.7% of Americans eat and drink while driving. Drive-thru options and Americans’ get-up-and-go lifestyle have made eating while driving natural. However, each time you reach for food behind the wheel, you put yourself and others in jeopardy.
How Eating While Driving Contributes to Car Accidents
There are three types of driving distractions; visual, manual, and cognitive. Visual distractions force you to take your eyes off the road. Manual distractions force you to take your hands off of the steering wheel. Cognitive distractions occur when you’re thinking about other things while driving. Eating while driving encompasses all three types of distractions.
Eating is something that typically requires both of your hands. Even if you’re able to eat with one and drive with the other, taking one hand off the wheel reduces safety and increases the potential for accidents. Unforeseen hazards can be twice as dangerous while distracted driving.
The Dangers of Eating While Driving
According to Florida civil and traffic law, drivers have a duty of care and responsibility to focus while following all highway safety precautions. Here are some critical reasons why eating while driving is dangerous:
- You take at least one hand off the wheel at some point
- You’re not focused on the road and that causes accidents
- Your reaction time is slower and you’re unable to adapt to hazards
Although the causes of car accidents are vast, distracted driving crashes are preventable. Injury LawStars help recover financial compensation for those who’ve been wrongfully injured by or accused of distracted driving.
Florida Distracted Driving Accident Statistics
Many individuals drive with distractions each day without suffering catastrophic incidents. However, reducing distractions like eating and drinking can help minimize your chances of being involved in a fatal crash. Each day nine people experience wrongful death due to distracted driver accidents. The Florida State Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reports that over 48,000 car accidents occurred due to distracted driving in 2021, which resulted in 300 deaths and over 2,700 serious injuries.
According to the NHTSA, drivers are eight times more likely to be involved in an accident if reaching for an object while driving. Drivers are three times more likely to be in an accident when eating or drinking. Motorists who eat and drive increase their chances of being in an accident by 80%. Distracted drivers who eat or drink cause 65% of near-miss accidents. If you’re involved in an accident with an eating and drinking driver, they may be responsible for your injuries.
Legal Implications of Eating While Driving
Distracted driving is considered negligence under Florida law. All Florida drivers are bound to exercise a reasonable duty of care while operating a motor vehicle. In accident cases involving eating and driving, typically accidents occur because drivers lose sight of the road. All drivers can be held responsible for the negligent accidents they cause.
Distracted driving victims could be entitled to monetary compensation also known as damages for their related injuries. Injury LawStars team of a highly experienced team of Florida personal injury law attorneys can examine your claim to demonstrate how:
- The distracted driver owed you a duty of care
- The distracted driver breached that duty of care by eating or drinking while driving
- Said breach of the duty of care caused your injuries
- You’ve suffered actual damages as a result of the crash
If you were injured in a car accident caused by a negligent driver, Injury LawStars may be able to help you recover some of your losses through a Clermont personal injury lawsuit. The most common damages we’ve helped our clients reclaim include compensation for:
- Medical expenses
- Property damages
- Lost wages from missed work
- Reduced earning capacity
- Medical costs
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Emotional pain and mental anguish
- Wrongful death
If you’ve lost a family member in a collision, you may be entitled to compensation via a wrongful death claim. Wrongful death claims support surviving family members with financial compensation after the loss of a loved one.
Steps To Take if Involved in an Accident Caused by a Distracted Driver
If you have been part of a car crash involving a distracted driver, there are certain urgent steps you can take:
Call 911
Medical professionals and the police will arrive to provide medical care and take an accident report. If you got injured and taken away in an ambulance, your lawyer can later obtain a copy of the accident report for your evidence.
Seek Medical Treatment
Getting medical care after a car accident is a top priority. Your car accident lawyer in Clermont can assist you in obtaining the right tests and procedures from medical specialists, who will know how to properly document your injuries. This is important to help maximize your compensation.
Contact a Lawyer
An experienced car accident attorney will assist you in all aspects of your car accident claim. Florida personal injury law specialists recommend contacting Injury LawStars to discuss your distracted driver accident in a free consultation right away.
Talk to Witnesses
Get the contact information of all eyewitnesses at the scene. It is also advised to write or record their statements. If you do not do this, your lawyer can track these witnesses down to properly document what happened during the accident.
Get Evidence
Take as many photos and videos of the scene as you can. If you are unable to do this, your lawyer can also obtain evidence from intersection videos or nearby businesses.
Document Your Injuries
Document the evolution of your injuries and symptoms. Injury professionals suggest keeping an accident injury journal. Medical professionals will also properly record all this information. Documenting your injury journal is vital to recovering compensation.
Tips To Avoid Eating While Driving
Consuming food while driving can be very convenient, but not worth the risk. Eating on the road requires taking one or both of your hands off the wheel and your eyes off the road for seconds at a time, creating potential conditions for an accident. To prevent the need to eat on the road, you can use the following tips:
- Eat before you leave by planning out a full meal instead of a snack before traveling. This will also keep you energized during your trip.
- Don’t keep food in your vehicle. If you have to bring food with you, store it out of arm’s reach so that grabbing a snack while driving isn’t an option.
- Taking a break to eat can be crucial for your safety. Taking a break from driving will also help you rest and recover your focus for the rest of the journey.
- Wait it out. If the trip is short, it can be worth it to wait to arrive before eating.
- If you need to bring a drink to stay hydrated on a long drive, choose a container with an attached lid that you can open with one hand or your teeth, so you can keep your eyes on the road.
Our accident attorneys will fight for the compensation you deserve and help you handle the aftermath of your accident. Florida distracted driving law professionals recommend a free consultation with Injury LawStars to answer all of your accident injury claim questions.
How Injury LawStars Can Help Distracted Driving Accident Victims
The assortment of risks associated with eating while driving can lead to serious accidents, and significant injuries, disrupt lives, and cause extensive hurt. The aftermath of distracted driving incidents requires emotional strength and legal acumen. Working with experienced professional legal attorneys helps victims seek justice and compensation for their accident-related injuries and damages.
Injury LawStars specialize in personal injury cases especially those tied to car accidents caused by distracted driving. If you’ve been harmed because of an accident resulting from eating behind the wheel, Injury LawStars offers more than just legal representation but also advocacy, support, and litigation skills when you need it most.
Our team of well-vetted Florida accident attorneys brings a wealth of experience in making complicated cases into manageable claims using their precision and dedication. By understanding the intricate details of distracted driving accidents, we are committed to helping each client through their legal labyrinth. At Injury LawStars, victims find a supportive and knowledgeable ally. We are dedicated to doing all that we can to maximize your compensation while handling your lawsuit with the delicate care it requires.
If you or someone you know has been affected by an accident involving eating while driving, reaching out to Injury LawStars could be the crucial step towards recovering your losses and retrieving the stability in your life you once enjoyed before your accident. Remember, you don’t have to traverse this journey alone. Our adept legal services are available to all Florida victims in need of a legal advocate to ensure that justice is served.