More than 1,100 traffic fatalities were reported in Pennsylvania in 2020. If you’ve been injured by a distracted driver in this state, you should contact a Philadelphia car accident attorney at once to discuss your right to compensation.

What constitutes distracted driving? What types of distractions cause serious traffic accidents? If you are injured by a distracted driver, what are your rights, and how can you recover compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, and related losses?

If you’ll keep reading this short introduction to distracted driving, your rights, and the law in Pennsylvania, these questions will be answered below.

What Are the Three Main Kinds of Driving Distractions?

Even if you leave your phone, pets, and children at home, you’ll face a variety of potential distractions whenever you drive. The three main types of driving distractions are manual distractions, cognitive distractions, and visual distractions.

Visual distractions are the distractions that take your eyes off the road. A visual distraction could be an accident, an odd-looking car or pedestrian, or even a passenger in your vehicle.

When you’re not paying attention to the road with your eyes, you’re unaware of the vehicles around you and the signals and signs ahead, so an accident is likely to happen.

What Are Manual and Cognitive Distractions?

Manual distractions are the distractions that take your hands off the steering wheel. Reaching for a cell phone or a soft drink is a manual distraction. A manual distraction can slow down your reaction time to someone who is crossing the street or merging into traffic.

Cognitive distractions are the distractions that take your mind off the task of driving. You could be daydreaming, listening to the radio, or arguing with a passenger. Cognitive distractions cause drivers to lose focus, meaning that you may not even know when a collision is imminent.

What If a Distracted Driver Injures You?

Motorists cannot and must not try to multitask while driving. Driving requires a driver’s full and complete attention, and anything that distracts a driver, even for an instant, could be dangerous or deadly.

If you are injured by a distracted driver in or near the Philadelphia area, after you have been examined and/or treated by a medical professional, take your case to a Philadelphia car accident lawyer.

How Will an Accident Attorney Help You?

Your lawyer will discuss your rights as the injured victim of a distracted driver, and your lawyer will negotiate with that driver’s automobile insurance company for the compensation you need.

If a distracted motorist has injured you, that motorist’s automobile insurance company may offer you a settlement for less than your claim is actually worth. The best strategy is to let your Philadelphia car accident attorney do the talking and negotiating for you.

Most distracted driving claims are resolved privately and outside of the courtroom, but if liability for the accident is disputed or if no reasonable settlement offer is forthcoming, your attorney will take the case to trial and tell jurors why they should order the payment of your compensation.

What Else Should You Know About Distracted Driving?

Pennsylvania gives you two years from the date of a car accident to file an injury claim, but you shouldn’t wait two years to speak with a lawyer. Don’t even wait two weeks. Your lawyer needs to examine the evidence while it’s fresh and speak to any witnesses before their memories fade.

If you’ve been injured by a distracted driver, your first consultation with a Philadelphia car accident lawyer is provided without cost or obligation, and you’ll pay no fee to an attorney until and unless that attorney recovers compensation on your behalf.

You are entitled by law to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and related damages if a distracted driver injures you, but compensation doesn’t appear magically in your mailbox or checking account. You’ll need to take the first step and contact an accident lawyer as quickly as possible after you’ve been injured.