Atlanta Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer

Were you injured in a car wreck caused by someone texting and driving?

Texting while driving is illegal in Georgia. It’s also against the law for teenage drivers to use their cellphones behind the wheel, but distracted driving accidents still happen at an alarming frequency in Atlanta and throughout Georgia. Whenever drivers take their eyes off the road for as much as a split-second, they put everyone at risk, often resulting in serious car accidents.

In this video, lawyer Gary Martin Hays discusses how vital it is to pay attention to the road by not texting and driving.

If you’ve been injured in a distracted driving accident in Georgia, contact an Atlanta car accident lawyer from Gary Martin Hays & Associates today. Our dedicated legal team understands distracted driving law and knows how to use that information to get you the compensation you rightfully deserve. Call 1-800-898-HAYS right now.

What are the leading causes of distracted driving?

The U.S. government defines distracted driving as “any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving.” In addition to texting and cellphone use, some of the most common types of distractions include:

Eating and drinking
Talking to passengers
Grooming
Reading, including maps
Using a navigation system
Watching a video
Adjusting a radio, CD player, or MP3 player
Rubbernecking
Daydreaming or being lost in thought

Any activity that takes your focus off your driving can be considered a distraction. It’s been shown that those who drive distracted are about four times more likely to die in a fatal car accident compared to those who don’t. Injuries sustained in distracted driving accidents are often serious and may require extensive treatment, such as surgery, physical therapy, and rehab.

If you were injured in a crash caused by a distracted driver, let an experienced Atlanta car accident lawyer hold them accountable and get you maximum compensation for your damages.

What are the 4 types of distractions while driving?

There are many different ways negligent motorists drive distracted. However, the broad categories include:

Visual – A distraction that takes your eyes off the road. Common examples of visual distractions include cellphones, passengers, GPS devices, your car’s mirrors, and anything you pass by on the side of the road, such as a car accident or a pedestrian.
Auditory – A noise distraction that causes you to divert your focus from your driving. Common examples of auditory distractions include loud music, a crying child, passengers, cellphone notifications, and engine noise.
Manual – A distraction that causes you to take your hands off the steering wheel. Using your hands to eat, drink, groom yourself, or reach for something are all common examples of manual distractions while driving.
Cognitive – A mental distraction that keeps you from thinking about your driving. Common examples of cognitive distractions include thinking about an argument with a friend or loved one, daydreaming, or simply being lost in thought about other things going on in your life.

The above examples illustrate why texting and driving is so dangerous. In order to read or send a text, you often need to look at your phone (visual), think about what you’re reading or going to type (cognitive), and use your hands to type (manual). If your phone makes a noise to notify you that you’ve received a text, it can also be an auditory distraction.

Whether you sustained a whiplash injury after you were rear-ended by someone texting and driving or you suffered a concussion in a crash caused by a driver who was programming their GPS, it’s important to take swift action to protect your rights.

At Gary Martin Hays & Associates, our experienced Atlanta car accident attorneys can handle every aspect of your claim and fight to get you the compensation you deserve. We know that negligent drivers often deny any wrongdoing. We also know how to prove when someone was driving distracted.