"You missed the turn." "The light is about to change." "You're driving too fast." "Watch out for that guy over there." Does any of this sound familiar? If so, you are one of the millions of people around the world who has endured the ramblings of a backseat driver. We have all been annoyed by the people who feel the need to 'help' us drive more safely and effectively, but in general most of us have chalked this annoyance up as basically harmless and nothing worth getting upset over.
However, it turns out that backseat driving may actually be dangerous. A few months ago a study was done in Great Britain that surveyed motorists with regards to backseat drivers, and the issue is finding its way into the news again because of problems that have been reported with this distraction. A recent article regarding this issue can be found here, and a description of the study can be found here. Some of the findings in the study were quite surprising. A few of those findings included:
- Two-thirds of the people surveyed stated that they had endured unwanted backseat driving.
- Almost half of all of those backseat drivers were the motorists' partners.
- 25 percent of respondents claimed to have been involved in at least one accident because they were distracted by a backseat driver.
- 70 percent of male drivers over the age of 55 had received recent and unsolicited driving advice.
- People who drove for a living were those who tended to be the worst backseat drivers.
- Teachers turned out to be those who were least likely to offer unsolicited driving advice.
While countless parodies have been written and ultimately broadcast on the big screen and on television that depicted these squabbles that take place in vehicles, the fact remains that these drivers are being distracted by these passengers. As we have all seen and heard in recent months, distracted driving is dangerous driving and dangerous driving often turns out to be negligent driving if a crash occurs and someone is injured as a result.
If you are a regular passenger in a vehicle and you think it's possible that you're a backseat driver, you should take some time to look at your habits and adjust them if necessary. You may be creating a dangerous situation for everyone involved even though you are most likely only trying to help. If you find that you spend too much time criticizing the driver, stop doing so and instead focus on other things. If you're a driver whose partner or regular passenger engages in this behavior often, talk with that person to explain the problem and why this behavior needs to stop. If you or someone you love has been injured by a distracted driver, stand up for your legal rights.
Contact the Las Vegas accident lawyers at High Stakes Injury Law today to schedule a free initial consultation.