Distracted driving is dangerous in any state including in Arizona. Distracted driving laws are there to help keep everyone safe which is why they should be followed and also why victims of distracted drivers should be familiar with legal resources available to protect them.

Distracted driving falls into three broad categories of dangerous behaviors while driving:

• Manual distraction – this type of driver distraction involves the driver removing their hands from the steering wheel while driving.
• Visual distraction – this type of distraction involves the driver removing their eyes from the roadway while driving.
• Cognitive distraction – this type of distraction involves any behavior that removes the driver’s focus and attention from the roadway.

Some types of distracted driving behaviors can include all three types of driver distraction in one. Texting while driving is considered particularly dangerous because it combines manual distraction, visual distraction and cognitive distraction all at once. When a driver is texting while driving, they remove their eyes from the roadway for an average of 5 seconds which, while travelling at 55 miles per hour, covers the length of a football field travelled.

Many other behaviors drivers engage in regularly can also be considered driver distraction and dangerous. Additional distracted driving behaviors can include operating a radio or navigation device while driving; reading while driving; cell phone use while driving; eating while driving; grooming while driving; and other unsafe behaviors as well.

Distracted driving increases the chances of a car accident. Every day, 9 victims are killed and greater than 1,000 are injured in accidents throughout the country that involve distracted driving. It is important to avoid distracted driving but also equally important for victims of distracted drivers to be familiar with legal remedies available to them.

A personal injury claim for damages can hold a distracted driver accountable for the harm they have caused the victim. Victims of negligent distracted drivers should know how to get the help they need with the physical, financial and emotional damages they are left with following a distracted driving-related accident.