What is The Difference Between Reckless Driving and Distracted Driving?

For most people, distracted driving and reckless driving are the same. Under the law, however, they are two different traffic violations that both involve drivers who have no regard for the traffic laws. They are also related to dangerous driving practices that can endanger other people on the road and cause serious to fatal motor vehicle accidents. But distracted driving and reckless driving can be prevented.

What You Should Know About Distracted Driving

Based on data from the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), 268 people lost their lives to distracted driving crashes in 2022. Texting while driving is illegal in Florida and almost all states. The police can pull you over for using your mobile phone or other wireless communication devices when you’re driving, especially in school zones and active work areas.

Using your mobile phone for talking, dialing, or texting while driving triples your risk of getting in a crash because when you send, read, or respond to a text message, you take your focus off the road for several seconds. Other driver distractions include speaking to your passengers, drinking or eating, grooming, tinkering with the radio or GPS device, or getting distracted by the sights around you.

Essentially, the primary distraction for drivers is inattentiveness, which could happen for various reasons. Drivers must always have their eyes focused on the road, their hands on the steering wheel, and their minds on driving. Driving necessitates specific cognitive, visual, and manual abilities, meaning that a driver’s brain, eyes, and hands must work perfectly together to ensure not only their safety but also other people’s safety.

What You Should Know About Reckless Driving

Reckless drivers engage in driving behaviors that show willful disregard or indifference for the safety of other people. Common reckless driving behaviors include the following:

Following other vehicles too closely
Driving while drugged or intoxicated
Racing other cars
Speeding, especially when other vehicles are nearby
Illegal passing, such as on blind curves
Swerving
Disregarding red lights or stop signs
Passing emergency vehicles or school buses carelessly
Not paying attention to railroad barriers

Reckless driving also involves the physical and mental state of the driver and the safety rules they fail to follow outside of driving.

Discuss Your Case With a Skilled Villages Car Accident Lawyer Today

Distracted driving and reckless driving are all negligent driving behaviors, which means that if you or a loved one was hurt in a crash involving either of these two, you have the right to seek financial compensation from the driver who caused the crash. To receive compensation, however, you must prove that the actions of the distracted or reckless driver directly caused or contributed to your injuries and related losses.

Get started with your injury claim right away by getting in touch with the Villages car accident lawyer at Mickey Keenan, PA, for legal assistance. Schedule your case review with our Villages car accident lawyer by sending us an online message or calling 813-871-1300.