Looking at your phone while you try to drive clearly feels dangerous. Even if you’re trying to multitask, you know that you’re distracted. Not only is doing this often against the law, but you know that it could cause an accident.
As a result, you may decide that you’re going to set your phone down or put it back in your pocket whenever you’re driving. This does not mean you won’t ever use the phone. You’ll just try to restrict that use to when you’re at a red light or otherwise stopped in traffic. If you put the phone down before you start driving again, that should stop the distraction. But does it?
27 additional seconds
Researchers have studied this question and what they found is that distraction does not appear to end as soon as someone stops using their phone. Instead, it lasts for around 27 more seconds. The distraction may not be as significant as if they were staring at the screen, but it is still present.
Essentially, this is just an example of a cognitive distraction. It’s a mental distraction because drivers cannot immediately shift their focus back to the road. They may look at the road and start operating the vehicle, but they are still thinking about whatever they were reading, watching or doing on their device. They often cause accidents at intersections as a result.
Have you suffered injuries?
If you have been injured in an accident that was caused by a distracted driver, or if you have lost a loved one, then you need to be sure that you understand all of your legal options. You may deserve compensation for medical bills and other costs.
