Why driver distraction is dangerous, even when stopped

Actively driving while using a cellphone is both illegal and dangerous. It distracts the driver from the road and can cause an accident. A driver who is approaching an intersection may not see the light turn red if they’re looking at their phone, for instance, causing a serious T-bone crash.

This risk is fairly apparent to most drivers, and they know that they shouldn’t use their phone behind the wheel. However, what some drivers fail to remember is that the distraction is still dangerous even if their car is stopped. They may decide that it’s a good time to check their text messages as they are sitting in a traffic jam or waiting for the light to change at an intersection, but this isn’t nearly as safe as they may assume.

Mental processing

The thing to remember is that the brain is processing information all the time. When someone is looking at their phone and reading an email from their boss, for example, they’re thinking about everything that’s going on in the workplace: What their boss is telling them, deadlines they may be facing, projects they need to complete, and even interpersonal relationship details, such as how well they get along with their boss or if they’re worried that their job is in jeopardy.

When traffic starts moving again and the driver puts their phone down, all of that mental processing isn’t complete. The brain is still working through that information, so the driver is still cognitively distracted. According to some researchers, this can go on for roughly 27 seconds. So a driver who just recently set their phone down is still distracted, even though they’re not holding it in their hand or looking at the screen.

Distracted drivers cause car accidents every day, and those who have been injured need to know how to seek financial compensation.