Distracted Driving in Florida: Unveiling Shocking Statistics and Crucial Safety Tips

A crash occurs every 44 seconds in Florida, and one in seven crashes involve distracted drivers, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV).

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, a good time to remind everyone that distracted driving can have deadly consequences.

Preliminary numbers indicate that in 2023, nearly 300 people in Florida died due to distracted driving, up 23 deaths from 2022, according to FLHSMV.

Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while distracted. At 55 mph, that’s enough time to travel the length of a football field!

What is Distracted Driving?

Distracted driving is anything that takes your hands off the wheel, your eyes off the road or mind off driving. It is extremely risky behavior that puts everyone on the road in danger.

There are different kinds of driver distractions:

1. Visual – Taking your eyes off the road

2. Manual – Taking your hands off the wheel

3. Cognitive – Thinking about anything other than driving

Texting is one of the most dangerous distracted driving behavior because it requires all three types of distraction. Other common distractions include: eating; putting on makeup; watching something happening outside of the vehicle; adjusting radio or climate controls; interacting with passengers; tending to children in the backseat; unsecured pets and/or daydreaming.

The Wireless Communications While Driving Law, section 316.305, Florida Statutes, took effect on July 1, 2019. This law requires drivers to put their phones down and focus on driving and allows law enforcement to stop motor vehicles and issue citations to motorists that are texting and driving.

This Distracted Driving Awareness Month, we encourage you to focus on your driving and the roadway.

The attorneys of Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel, PLLC are here to help you seek justice following a distracted driving collision. Call us today to learn more about how our car accident attorneys in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Stuart, Wellington and Bradenton can help.