Cognitive Distraction Could Cause More Connecticut Auto Accidents

When you’re driving down the road and you have your eyes on the road you may think that you are doing everything you need to do to avoid a Connecticut auto accident.  This may not be true. 

According to a recent AAA study, cognitive distraction can be just as dangerous as actually being distracted while driving.  We often think of distraction as changing the station on the radio or texting while driving, but this research suggests that there are even more dangerous activities that you may be doing without even realizing it.

First let’s define cognitive distraction.  Cognitive distraction is what happens when your eyes are on the road and looking straight ahead while your mind is somewhere else entirely.  This could be as simple as talking to a passenger in the car or even just letting your mind wander away from the duty of driving the car.

The study, conducted by AAA, identified certain cognitive distractions and ranked them in order of their danger to the driver.  The system they used to rank these was similar to the system used to determine the severity of a hurricane.  Some examples of these behaviors include;

• Category 1 = listening to the radio (minimal risk)
• Category 2 = talking on a cell phone (moderate risk)
• Category 3 = talking to voice activated email assistants (extensive risk)

While these are, of course, just a sampling of the cognitive distractions that can cause you to end up in a Connecticut auto accident, they give you a glimpse as to the types of activities you should avoid when driving.  If you get in the car with something on your mind you may want to try to put it out of your mind so you can focus on the road.  You certainly do not want to be doing additional tasks like talking on the phone or checking email, even if it is while using a voice assistant.  

If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident, you may need an attorney to review your case.  Contact our office and one of our experienced and knowledgeable attorneys will get back to you.