Distracted driving. It isn’t just a buzz phrase. It is real. People get injured and even killed because of distracted drivers every year in Maryland. In 2013, a reported 166 people were killed in accidents linked to some sort of driver distraction.
While any number of traffic fatalities is unfortunate, there is some good news. Research shows that the rate of deadly accidents tied to distractions has decreased since 2009. Continued success in reducing these kinds of preventable losses is important.
Knowledge can be useful when trying to further reduce the risk of distracted driving on Maryland’s roadways. The following are some trends that could teach motorists something about themselves or their driving behaviors, or what to look out for on the roads in their day-to-day lives:
- About 40% of drivers in distracted driving cases are under the age of 30.
- Fifty-seven percent of drivers in distracted driving cases are male.
- Metropolitan roadways are the most common site of distracted driving accidents.
- Most of the accidents take place on weekdays, in the early and late afternoon, with an increase on Fridays.
- Sundays generally are the safest in terms of distracted driving on the roadways, when fewer accidents occur.
Now you know that the weekdays during the afternoon are the high-risk times for being injured in a distracted driving accident. You also know that city driving is more dangerous. At the very least, we hope Maryland motorists will recognize the dangers out there and alter their actions to try to create safer roads.
When someone ignores the danger of texting while driving or some other form of driver distraction and causes an accident, the victim of that negligence has rights. No one’s life should be threatened because a driver fails to focus on the road.
Leave a Reply