Hands-Free ≠ Risk Free

Are drivers safe and attentive as long as their eyes are on the road and their hands are on the wheel?  The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety conducted a study, “Measuring Cognitive Distraction in the Automobile” to help answer that very question.  The findings proved some of the strongest evidence yet that “hands-free” doesn’t mean risk free.

The study identified three main sources of driver distraction and analyzed a driver’s brain activity while engaging in a variety of tasks while behind the wheel.

• Visual Distractions (eyes off the road)
• Manual Distractions (hands off the wheel)
• Cognitive Distractions (mind off the task).

While most drivers tend to associate distracted driving with visual and manual distractions, the study remarkably showed that even when hands are on the wheel and eyes appear to be on the road, a driver can experience significant cognitive distractions. When a driver experiences cognitive distraction, accidents happen because mentally-distracted drivers miss visual cues, have slower reaction times, and even exhibit a sort of tunnel vision.  Simply put, “hands-free” does not mean risk free!

I encourage all drivers to read the AAA study, and, more importantly, exercise extreme caution when driving by putting down the phone and not engaging in any driver distractions.  For more information about the Foundation’s research, visit https://www.aaafoundation.org/research.

Mark Bello has thirty-six years experience as a trial lawyer and fourteen years as an underwriter and situational analyst in the lawsuit funding industry. He is the owner and founder of Lawsuit Financial Corporation which helps provide cash flow solutions and consulting when necessities of life litigation funding is needed by a plaintiff involved in pending, personal injury, litigation. Bello is a Justice Pac member of the American Association for Justice, Sustaining and Justice Pac member of the Michigan Association for Justice, Member of Public Justice, Public Citizen, the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan and the Injury Board.