Before making it to the green flag this weekend, NASCAR driver Paulie Harraka rear ended another driver, Alex Kennedy. While not the worst crash to occur on a NASCAR track it seems fairly careless for a professional driver to cause a fender-bender, especially before his first race at the Sprint Cup started.
Harraka most likely was not texting, so what did happen? Perhaps Harraka was lost in thought. A recent study from the Erie Insurance Group found that most cases of distracted driving occur when drivers day dream.
The study looked at police reports from 65,000 fatal car crashes over two years. According to those reports, 10 percent overall were caused by distracted driving. Of those distracted driving deaths, the majority – 62 percent – were caused by a daydreaming driver.
"The results were disturbing," said Erie Senior Vice President Doug Smith.
Cell phones use cause 12 percent of fatal crashes. That's still high for a preventable cause of death but a fatal accident is five times more likely to be cause by a driver 'lost in thought' rather than cell phone use.
How can you avoid distracted driving? By being aware of your surrounds while in your car and keep distractions to a minimum.
"Distracted driving is any activity that takes your eyes off the road, your hands off the wheel, or your mind off the primary task of driving," Smith said. "We hope the data will encourage people to avoid these high-risk behaviors that needlessly increase their risk of being involved in a fatal crash."
Harraka most likely was not texting, so what did happen? Perhaps Harraka was lost in thought. A recent study from the Erie Insurance Group found that most cases of distracted driving occur when drivers day dream.
The study looked at police reports from 65,000 fatal car crashes over two years. According to those reports, 10 percent overall were caused by distracted driving. Of those distracted driving deaths, the majority – 62 percent – were caused by a daydreaming driver.
"The results were disturbing," said Erie Senior Vice President Doug Smith.
Cell phones use cause 12 percent of fatal crashes. That's still high for a preventable cause of death but a fatal accident is five times more likely to be cause by a driver 'lost in thought' rather than cell phone use.
How can you avoid distracted driving? By being aware of your surrounds while in your car and keep distractions to a minimum.
"Distracted driving is any activity that takes your eyes off the road, your hands off the wheel, or your mind off the primary task of driving," Smith said. "We hope the data will encourage people to avoid these high-risk behaviors that needlessly increase their risk of being involved in a fatal crash."
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