Texting and driving is not the only cause of a distracted driver

Using a cellphone without a hands-free device and texting and driving are two activities that are often associated with accidents attributed to the negligence of a distracted driver. Along with many other states, Maryland has prohibited those practices. However, according to the National Safety Council, using a hands-free device may be just as dangerous.

Buying a car with the latest hands-free technology built into the vehicle might seem like a safe alternative to driving while holding a cellphone. A majority of motorists appear to believe it to be a safe way to talk on a cellphone, according to the NSC, but the real factor contributing to a distracted driver might be the conversation and not the phone.

The National Safety Council claims that the notion that the brain of a motorist can focus on safely operating a vehicle while carrying on a conversation at the same time is simply not true. Talking on a cellphone competes along with GPS devices and other dashboard technology installed in vehicles by car manufacturers. It takes the driver’s focus away from the road ahead, as does taking a sip of coffee or even having a conversation with a passenger in the back seat. In order to bring people’s attention to this issue, the organization has named April Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

Distracted drivers cause far too many accidents each year. The practice endangers not only the motorist but also passengers in the car as well as occupants of other vehicles. An attorney representing an injured victim might seek to obtain the motorist’s cellphone records in order to establish that there was a text message being sent or received or a conversation in progress at the time of the crash.