Sourced here Driving Distractions: Pets and Phones
It certainly seems that texting might divert the average driver’s attention more than their pup-but according to a recent survey from American Automobile Association (AAA), traveling with your pet in your car ranks just behind texting while driving on a list of driving distractions. Having a hard time believing it? Check out the statistics:
80% of drivers admitted to taking their animal (usually a dog) along for rides around town and on road trips. However, less than 25% kept their animals restrained. Additionally, the survey showed that two drivers out of three admitted to petting or playing with their dog routinely while driving, and one in five of the drivers surveyed allowed their dogs to sit on their laps.
So, what do the results of this survey indicate? According to their research, if a 10-pound dog is loose in a vehicle and that vehicle crashes at 50 miles per hour, the dog could exert 500 pounds of pressure. In this situation both the life of the pet and the driver could be endangered. Not to mention, if you’re petting your dog, you’re probably taking your eyes off the road, even if it’s for a brief moment. The study showed that even if your attention is diverted for a mere 2 seconds, the potential of getting in an accident doubles.
What’s clear here is that both an unrestrained pet and a cell phone can cause you to take your eyes off the road. Whether your texting or petting your dog, the fact is, you’re distracted from the task of driving. As to which one is more distracting? That’s debatable; but according to the Palm Beach injury attorney your risk of injury definitely increases with each new distraction, so keep your eyes on the road, your cell phone in your pocket and your pet properly restrained
Remember this next time you hire a pet sitter to transport your four legged friend around.
Here at The DogSmith we have rigid standards for pet care and pet safety. When transporting your pets in a DogSmith vehicle they are secured at all times. This prevents the pet from distracting the driver and also ensures in the event of a collision your pet is safe
References:
Baton Rouge area lawyers for cases of injury from a distracted driver
Call a car wreck attorney in Birmingham like Heninger Garrison Davis