As we have mentioned before, we are delighted to share articles that may be of interest to our clients. This article, by our friend Steven Farbman, caught our attention and we felt it was worthy of your review.

Distracted Driver Awareness Month
by Steven Farbman, Esq.

For more than 30 years, The Law Offices of Steven S. Farbman, P.A. has been helping people who have been seriously injured due to the careless driving of others. Due, to the advent of the cell phone (texting) and display screens added to cars (GPS, radio, and even internet!) we have seen even more people of our community injured as a result of car crashes with distracted drivers. According to one recent survey distracted driving crashes in Florida increased 25 percent since 2012. Not surprisingly, April has become known as Distracted Driver Awareness Month.

While teens represent only 5 percent of licensed drivers, they were responsible for 12 percent of distracted-driving crashes. Drivers aged 20 to 29 were responsible for 31 percent of crashes.

There are three main categories of distraction: visual, taking your eyes off the road; manual, taking your hands off the steering wheel; and cognitive, thinking about anything other than driving.

Some of the most common types of distractions include:

*An object, person, or event outside the vehicle that diverts a driver’s attention away from the road
*Texting (put the phone away!!!)
*Reaching for a device, such as a GPS
*Interacting with passengers
*Eating or drinking (and never have alcohol in the car!!!)
*Unsecured pets
*Grooming (stop putting on your make up, shaving and brushing your hair while driving!!!)
*Adjusting stereo or climate controls
*Lighting a cigarette
*Daydreaming

Therefore, if you believe you may be guilty of some of the above distractions, make a concerted effort not to do them. Never take your eyes off the road! If you have young drivers in your family, go over the list and have them put the cell phone away until they reach their destination. Besides protecting others on the roadway, you just may be saving your loved one’s life and even your own.

The Law Offices of Steven S. Farbman are always interested in the safety and well-being for the people of our community. As always please feel free to contact my office with any legal questions you may have. For more than 30 years, Steven S. Farbman has been helping members of this community who have been seriously injured due to the carelessness and negligence of others.