Distracted driving is on the rise. These drivers are a threat to your life!

Everyone has seen it, and some of us are guilty of it: driving while distracted.  Today, the largest growing threat to the highways are drivers who text or talk on their cell while driving; however there are other concerns, too.

Whether you're on your way to work, running an errand, or simply out for a drive, you've likely noticed drivers chatting on phones, putting on make-up, shuffling through their Ipod, eating food, fumbling with cd's, reaching into the backseat or floorboard, wearing headphones, updating their navigation system, disciplining their children, and on, and on, and on...  Our law firm sees the pictures and results of collisions caused by these acts: it's frightening, and sometimes even heartbreaking.

What do these drivers mean to you and I? It means that when we get into our cars, we are subjected to far greater risk, and the likelihood of getting into an accident skyrockets.

A recent study provided scientific proof that distracted drivers are three times as likely to be involved in a car crash as a more attentive motorist.   The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 80% of crashes and 65% of near-crashes occur within three seconds of some type of driver distraction.  This is an astonishing number!

Age was also a significant role in these types of crashes.  The study stated that drivers between the ages of 18 and 20 were four times as likely to have distraction-related crashes and near-crashes as drivers over the age of 35.

The lesson to be learned is one we've heard from the time we first sat behind a wheel: Keep your eyes on the road. A fatal car crash can happen in less than a second.