The Problem of Multitasking While Driving a Car

Driving distractions are widely considered as one of the main causes of vehicle accidents in the United States that ultimately result to injuries, deaths and millions worth of damages every year. While many drivers argue that they still drive safely all the time, they are not aware that combining other activities while behind the wheel is a recipe for disaster.

The lifestyle of today's people can be described as fast and demanding. Almost everyone can do two or more things at the same time. This is called multitasking-an act of doing several things simultaneously in an aim to be productive and to save precious time.

Multitasking is usually related to the workplace and most of the time produces favorable results; however, doing so while behind the wheel could be dangerous. With this activity, drivers do tasks that require them to take their eyes off the road and their hands off the steering wheel.

Multitasking while driving a vehicle is dangerous because of two factors:

• Technology. The use of wireless communication devices such as mobile phones became even more popular in today's society. However, using such devices contributed to the occurrence of road accidents in the United States. According to the Nationwide Insurance, in 2007, eighty percent of drivers admit that they multitask while driving. Out of this percentage, nineteen percent of them use their phones to type, send or read text messages.

• Car's interior design. Believe it or not, even the interior design of a vehicle has been linked to multitasking. Car features that focus more on comfort and convenience have engage drivers to become more distracted when driving. Examples of such are drink holders, trays, and compartments for gadgets such as mobile phones and laptops.

Examples of multitasking activities

The abovementioned factors somehow contribute to the causes of vehicular accidents in the United States. Given those factors, here are some activities that drivers do while driving their vehicles:

• Drinking
• Fidgeting on the car stereo, shuffling through radio stations, putting on a CD, or finding a song on the playlist on music players connected through an auxiliary outlet
• Grooming activities such as combing the hair and applying makeup.
• Dealing with meddling children inside the car
• Eating a snack or a full meal

A pedestrian or another motorist who gets injured because of someone else's distracted driving can receive compensation from the damages suffered. The victim can hire a Los Angeles injury lawyer to know if the liable party indeed exercised distracted driving. That way, the jury may award the victim the exact amount of damages he or she suffered because of the accident.