Smoking and Driving: Immense Potential For Distraction

Accidents on the road occur for numerous reasons, and understanding the root causes of collisions can help motorists take better precautions and drive more defensively. While most people are aware that texting while behind the wheel can pose a grave threat to other drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians, additional activities like eating and smoking may also contribute to what’s known as distracted driving. 

The Potential for Distraction When Smoking and Driving Is Significant

Smokers are so used to lighting up that they may be unaware of how distracting their behavior on the road actually is. There are multiple steps required to light up a cigarette or cigar, leading to an array of potentially hazardous moments behind the wheel. Smoking while driving can prove disastrous in the following ways:

• Manual distraction – In order to light up, the driver must remove their hands from the steering wheel to manipulate the cigarette and the lighter. If there is only a modest amount of traffic, this may be feasible. However, the unexpected can happen at any moment on the road. Traffic can suddenly increase, or an emergency can pop up. Not having both hands on the wheel can lead to critical mistakes in reaction time that make it difficult to avoid a collision.
• Visual distraction – Most smokers think they can light a cigarette without looking at it due to years of taking the same action over and over. But sometimes, the lighter doesn’t work right, and the driver is forced to check the problem visually. Other times, they may need to check the amount of ash that has piled up at the end of the cigarette to know when to flick it. They may also be visually distracted when trying to get a new cigarette out of its pack, which isn’t always straightforward. All of these distractions mean that the driver is taking their eyes off the road, missing critical information that could help them prevent a collision. In a split second, the car in front of them could stop short, a pedestrian or cyclist could emerge from nowhere, or a dog could run out into the road. The potential for accidents is hugely increased by seemingly innocent visual distractions connected to smoking.
• Cognitive distraction – The act of smoking can bring a level of mental distraction that you might not expect. The smoker is at least partially focused on the experience of lighting the cigarette, inhaling, and exhaling, as well as the chemical changes in the body that occur as a result. During this ritualistic process, the mind may slow down or wander, allowing for a split-second accident to happen.

Seniors Smoking Medical Marijuana On the Road

In addition to cigarette and cigar smoking, weed smoking on the road has increased due to its recent legality for medical patients, many of whom are seniors. These drivers can pose a significant threat to others, as highlighted by a recent university study that found the following:

• Impaired cognitive function – Medical cannabis users may experience impaired memory, judgment, decision-making, and attention. This can be compounded by old age, which on its own leads to cognitive decline. 
• Slowed reaction times – Drivers must be able to rapidly react to conditions on the road in order to ensure their own safety and the safety of others. Drivers using medical cannabis have slower reactions that can put them at higher risk of causing or being involved in a collision. 
• Loss of coordination – Medical marijuana can interfere with coordination between the brain and the body or between the eyes and the hands, increasing the potential for disaster when a cannabis user is behind the wheel. Tasks such as braking, steering, and maintaining lane position can be compromised. Again, many seniors already struggle with coordination issues due to aging, exasperating the problem.

Potential Injuries Caused By Smoking-Related Distracted Driving

Smoking (cigarettes, cigars, weed, etc.) can lead to distracted driving that causes a number of different injury types. Factors that affect the severity of the injuries include the speed of the vehicles involved in the collision, the type of crash, whether the victims were wearing their seatbelts, and whether airbags were deployed at the time of the accident.

If you were injured due to another person’s negligence or recklessness, a personal injury lawyer can help you seek compensation for your losses. The following injury types can occur due to distracted driving:

• Whiplash
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
• Spinal cord injuries (SCIs)
• Head, neck, shoulder, and back injuries
• Broken bones
• Sprains
• Burns
• Cuts and bruises
• Lacerations
• Blunt force trauma
• Coma
• Wrongful death

Proving Liability in Distracted Driving Cases

Whether a distraction occurred in the at-fault party’s vehicle due to smoking, texting, eating, or another activity, they can be held accountable and made to pay damages if their negligent actions resulted in your injuries. In order to prove liability, your personal injury lawyer must show the following:

• Duty of care – All drivers on the road owe a duty of care to follow traffic rules and ensure the safety of other motorists by not driving while distracted.
• Breach of duty of care – If another driver was smoking, drinking, texting, or was otherwise distracted while behind the wheel, they breached their duty of care to those with whom they share the road.
• Causation – As a final step, your attorney will show a direct link between the distracted driver’s actions and your collision and injuries, paving the way for you to receive compensation for your losses.

What Damages Can Be Obtained After an Accident With a Distracted Driver

If you were injured due to someone else’s distracted driving, you may be eligible to receive compensation that can help you rebuild your life and the lives of your family members, especially if you are unable to work. A good personal injury attorney can help you recover the following:

• Current and future medical expenses, including fees related to doctor’s visits, hospitalizations, surgeries, medications, assistive devices, at-home care, physical therapy, rehabilitation, and more
• Lost wages and loss of future earning capacity
• Property damage, including costs related to repairing or replacing your vehicle
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of consortium
• Wrongful death, including burial and funeral expenses

Speak With a Personal Injury Lawyer Today If You Have Been the Victim of a Distracted Driver

If you were injured because another driver took their eyes, hands, or attention off the road, however briefly, you may be entitled to compensation for your losses, both economic and non-economic. Our skilled, dedicated car accident lawyers at Trust Guss can investigate your collision, determine liability, negotiate with insurance companies and other third parties, and take your case to court if needed. We work on a contingency fee basis, so you never owe any legal fees upfront. Additionally, we provide a no-cost, no-obligation case evaluation so you can get started with your claim right away.