driving while eating
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Eating While Driving – Is it Legal?

Eating while driving is a problem all around the country, whether it is done out of convenience or to save time. Every meal eaten while driving offers a risk, but some meals are more distracting than others. Hot coffee, tacos, hamburgers, fried chicken, jelly doughnuts, and chocolate are among the top 10 items to avoid eating while driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The average cost of a minor collision for a driver is $8,900. But when drivers and their passengers suffer injuries, that number soars (to upwards of $70,000). Seven percent of the country admits to eating while driving every single day, with 56 percent of Americans admitting to doing so on a semi-regular basis. Is

Drunk Driving
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Is Drowsy Driving Worse Than Drunk Driving?

Drowsy driving is the combination of driving when sleepy and usually happens when a driver has not slept enough. This can be a result of an untreated sleep disorder or shift work that is taxing on one’s body. Prescription and over-the-counter medications can also cause drowsiness, as well as alcohol. Causes of Drowsy Driving Alcohol: Drinking alcohol can contribute to drowsy driving and also affects reaction time and decision-making. Sleep Deprivation: A lack of sleep is a major cause of excessive daytime sleepiness, which can cause microsleep or other dangerous driving behavior. Sleep Disorders: Many sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, cause an individual’s sleep to be restricted and interrupted. Time of Day: Accidents resulting from driving while drowsy happen

When a distracted driving crash is not an accident

I have seen the extensive damage and loss caused by even one distracted driving crash. “I’m so sorry” or ” I wish I wouldn’t have been on my cellphone”  has no purposeful meaning once the damage is done. There is no going back. Sue Lee was a skilled seamstress at a local clothing manufacturer. Her work required focus and attention to detail. She loved her job and her co-workers were like family. During breaks, they traded stories about their children and grandchildren. They enjoyed exchanging recipes. Mrs. Lee looked forward to getting up each day and working with her friends. Her job—and her life— changed in one moment. Early one evening, a commercial driver struck her with his van. He

Years after distracted driver crash, brain injury lingers

Anthony is in his mid-50’s. He is an entrepreneur with an MBA, and a city council member with a long history of political campaign work. He and his husband, a local surgeon, were well-known for their civic engagement— and their big annual holiday party. Everything changed in an instant. Distracted driver crash in Washington   It was late morning on a warm August day in northern Washington State. There was stop-and-go traffic on S. Burlington Boulevard, as construction reduced two lanes down to one. A heavy diesel truck in front of Anthony’s car slowed and stopped. Anthony did the same. Then, he looked into the rearview mirror, and in a split-second, realized the car behind his was not going to

Truckers must fight inattentional blindness

Since the 1990s, scientific studies on visual perception have demonstrated that people’s expectations, and their ability to focus, affects what they see. It’s called “inattentional blindness”, and it’s important for drivers to be aware of it – particularly professional drivers like truckers. Distracted driving means that a driver is not paying full attention to the single task of driving. Inattentional blindness means that a person is missing critical information even when their eyes are focused on the road ahead. In the initial study on inattentional blindness, researchers asked participants to watch images of a small cross flash briefly on a computer screen, and determine which arm of the cross was longer. After a few images, an unexpected object, like a brightly-colored rectangle, would appear

Changing lives with small failures: distracted truck drivers

The phrase “changing lives” sounds positive: people making big choices, and overcoming adversity. I’m seen too many lives changed by just the opposite. A failure that seems small—like a distracted truck driver taking eyes off the road—can responsible for changing lives. “I’m really not sure what happened” On a sunny fall afternoon in Washington, Andy was driving home from his high school cross-country practice. He was (legally) stopped with his turn signal on, when his vehicle was hit from behind by a big semi-truck and trailer. Andy was pushed into an oncoming car. His own car burst into flames. He was severely burned. The truck driver could not give any credible explanation for why he didn’t see Andy’s car. He told

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