Oftentimes in the wake of a car accident on California, the circumstances that led to the collision may seem to you to be so simple for a reasonable person to avoid that the only explanation might seem to be driver distraction.
Yet what if the driver at fault claims that they were not using their cell phone at the time of the collision? As many of our past clients here at the Padilla Law Group, LLP can attest to, there are several other different forms of distracted driving.
Reviewing the common types of driving distractions
Chief among these is eating and drinking while driving. Most people may not view this activity as distracting (you may even do it at times). Yet a more thorough review of the actions that go into eating and drinking reveals just how much attention it requires.
A driver eating or drinking behind the wheel must have at least one hand free to grasp their food or drink, and they need to see and pay attention to their items in order to direct them to their mouth and avoid spills. This may not seem so difficult, yet consider the major identified forms of driving distractions (as listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention):
- Cognitive: Actions that draw attention away from the road
- Visual: Actions that pull one’s gaze away from the road
- Manual: Actions that require one to release the steering wheel
Eating and drinking while driving forces a driver to do all three simultaneously.
Correctly identifying a “dining driver”
How can you know if eating or drinking played a role in your accident? Open drink containers or food wrappers in a vehicle are one indication, as are fresh stains on a driver’s clothing. Your can find more information on distracted driving by continuing to explore our site.