In Connecticut, drivers of all ages are prohibited from using any type of handheld electronic device while operating a vehicle.
In Connecticut, according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation, it is illegal for drivers to use any type of handheld electronic device, except in certain emergency situations, while they are operating a vehicle. This means that drivers are prohibited from talking on their cellphone, watching videos on a cellphone or tablet or holding their cellphone to get directions when they are driving. Additionally, drivers between the ages of 16 and 17 are prohibited from using a mobile device in any capacity, even with a hands-free accessory.
Types of distracted driving
Although using a handheld mobile device while driving is prohibited in Connecticut, there are many other activities that can distract drivers while they are operating a vehicle. For example, drivers become distracted and endanger the lives of others when they eat, fiddle with the radio, or groom themselves behind the wheel. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are also three main types of distracted driving, which include the following:
· Manual distraction–This type of distraction occurs when drivers take their hands away from the steering wheel. For instance, a driver becomes manually distracted when he or she reaches for a cellphone on the back seat of a vehicle while it is in motion.
· Cognitive distraction–When drivers focus on something other than driving, they are cognitively distracted. For example, a driver who focuses on what he or she has to do the rest of the day instead of driving becomes cognitively distracted.
· Visual distraction– Drivers who no longer look at the road in front of them while operating a vehicle are visually distracted. When a driver, for example, looks away from the road at a GPS while driving, he or she becomes visually distracted.
Although cognitive, manual and visual distractions all endanger the lives of drivers, passengers and pedestrians, texting and driving is the most dangerous distracting driving activity become it combines all three forms.
Accident statistics
Despite Connecticut’s ban on handheld electronic usage for drivers, many people are still injured and killed in distracted-driving related accidents regularly. The CDC states that every day in the U.S., 1,161 people are injured and eight people are killed in accidents involving a distracted driver.
The consequences of being involved in a distracted driving accident can be severe for victims, and they may suffer mental, physical and emotional harm. For this reason, those in Connecticut who were harmed in an accident caused by a distracted driver should reach out to an attorney in their area for legal assistance.
