Keeping the roadways safe is the responsibility of every driver on the California roadways. Some drivers, however, decide that they won’t pay attention to the simple steps that help to keep our roadways safe. Distracted driving is a huge problem on the roadways. Sadly, drivers who are distracted can sometimes cause accidents that cause serious injuries or even death.
When a driver takes his or her eyes off the road, an accident can happen in a split second. Dialing a cellphone, browsing on a phone and text messaging result in the longest periods of a driver taking his or her eyes off the roads. Drivers who text message are twice as likely to be involved in a crash or a near crash because these drivers take their eyes off the road for an average of 23 seconds.
Interestingly, talking on a cellphone doesn’t increase the risk of being involved in a crash. That, however, only applies to actually talking. Looking at the phone, locating the phone and touching the phone can increase the risk of an accident. These actions can even affect drivers who are using hands-free phones. For drivers who are dialing a number, looking up a contact or reaching for a phone, the risk of being in an accident is three times as likely.
As you can see, using a phone while driving is very dangerous. If you are injured by a distracted driver, you can seek compensation for those injuries. Taking action immediately after the accident might help to preserve evidence and start you on the path of getting the relief you need.
Source: Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, “New VTTI study results continue to highlight the dangers of distracted driving” Dec. 21, 2014
