Flashy billboards. Unique bumper stickers. A cute dog in a passing car. While driving, there are a plethora of distractions. Yet, one thing seems to distract drivers more than anything else — other car accidents.

In-car distractions, like texting, talking, or changing a CD, account for the majority of distracted driving accidents. Outside distractions, however, are sometimes overlooked as we address the texting-and-driving epidemic. Therefore, it should be noted that “outside the car” distraction account for 35% of all vehicle crashes, with 16% of these accidents occurring as a direct result of rubbernecking.

Are You Guilty Of Rubbernecking?

You’re driving home when you see an ambulance whiz by, or hear the sound of screeching tires up ahead. As traffic slows down and you pass the scene of the accident, you turn your head just slightly to look at the damaged vehicles. Sometimes, you might even see someone being loaded into an ambulance, or even worse, a body bag being zipped up.

You’ve done this, haven’t you? And you’re not the only one. A British study shows that almost 75% of drivers admit to looking at accidents, a phenomenon known as rubbernecking. Rubbernecking occurs when people slow down or attempt to look at an accident or incident as they pass it. According to the dictionary, rubbernecking is the act of turning “one’s head to stare at something in a foolish manner.”

While it may satiate our morbid curiosity, rubbernecking actually is foolish — and dangerous! When you take your eyes off the road, whether tor read a text or look at an accident, you can travel the length of a football field in just five seconds. That is enough time to hit another car or object or veer off the road. Additionally, if other drivers are rubbernecking, they may rear-end you, causing whiplash and other back and neck injuries.

There is already one accident— don’t let rubbernecking cause another!

POSTED BY usalaw.com