Distracted driving has become a common cause of collisions, and New York City motor vehicle accident attorneys represent many victims who are hurt by drivers who are on their phone or using other devices. When a driver breaks laws prohibiting distracted driving or otherwise behaves in an unsafe way behind the wheel, that motorist can be held accountable for financial and non-monetary losses which he has caused victims to experience.
While phone use and the use of electronic devices are leading reasons for distracted driving accidents, these types of distractions aren’t the only ones that occur in a car. As WGME points out, driving with young children in the car can also be a major distraction. There are ways to make sure that kids don’t take a lot of your focus away from the road, and WGME explains some of the different steps that parents and other adults may want to take before driving with kids.
Tips for Reducing Distracted Driving Accident Risks with Kids
Some of the ways that you can reduce the chances that children will cause a disturbance leading to an auto accident include:
- Feeding kids before driving: Kids should be given a meal, or at least a drink and a snack, before going in the car so they won’t get hungry and demand food while parents are driving. If you are going to feed kids in the car, choose an option that isn’t messy so your child won’t spill or throw food as you are driving and cause you to take your attention away from the road.
- Make plans to keep kids entertained: This is especially important on long drives. If the car has a DVD player, kids should stay entertained if you put on a movie. You can provide children with coloring books, play games like I Spy, sing songs, or put other travel-friendly toys in the car that your children will play with and that won’t be distracting to you.
- Take regular breaks if a trip is a long one: Kids can start to become antsy when they are trapped in the car for long periods of time. They are more likely to behave in a way that causes a distraction if this happens. If you take breaks, both you and your kids can feel more refreshed and you’ll be able to reduce the risk of an accident occurring.
- Provide a trash bag for kids: You don’t want kids to drop bottles, wrappers, or other discarded items that could roll around the vehicle and get in your way as you are trying to drive the car safely.
Of course, no matter how careful parents are, accidents can still happen anyway – especially if other motorists on the road fail to follow best practices for safety. New York City motor vehicle accident attorneys can provide help to accident victims in pursuing claims for compensation against drivers who cause serious injury or wrongful death. To find out more, give Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff a call today to talk with an attorney.