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Which is worse — distracted driving or drunk driving?

On Behalf of | Feb 25, 2021 | Car accidents

Distracted driving is by no means new, but there has been more emphasis on it since the invention of the smartphone. There are plenty of other distractions — kids, pets, passengers, music and more. However, phones have clearly become the top distraction in recent years.

Drunk driving, on the other hand, has been a known issue for decades and illegal for more than 100 years. But is drunk driving more dangerous than distracted driving?

The trouble with the statistics

When you look at the statistics, it’s usually clear that there are more injuries and deaths related to drunk driving than to distracted driving. There’s one problem with these statistics, though. You can test a drunk driver. You can’t test a distracted driver. Yes, the authorities can sometimes prove someone was distracted by checking their phone messages and things of this nature, but there are certainly many distraction-based accidents where drivers simply lie. This means the drunk driving statistics are usually going to be higher.

What it doesn’t mean is that drunk driving is more common than distracted driving. You’ll find clear spikes in drunk driving on the weekends and after dark. Cellphone distractions happen all the time. You could argue that it’s more dangerous because you are constantly at risk from these distracted drivers, whereas you can avoid the times when drunk drivers are most common.

If you are involved in a crash with either a drunk or a distracted driver, you could suffer serious, life-altering injuries. Make sure that you know what legal options you have for seeking compensation and justice.

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