Distracted Driver Accidents

Mobile devices like smart phones and tablets dominate every area of our lives.  Social media, business-related apps, gaming and text-based communications consume hours of our individual daily lives.  When careless drivers pay more attention to these devices than the highway, people get hurt.  If you or a loved-one have been injured by the negligent behavior of a distracted driver you should consider the following:

Distracted Driving is Illegal

It is not legal to pay more attention to your devices than the safety of other motorists.  For example, in Georgia it is illegal to physically hold an electronic device with any part of your body while driving.  Other states, such as Alabama, specifically prohibit text communications while driving. With the increase in deaths and injuries associated with distracted driving, the number of drivers who are charged with criminal offenses due to distracted driving is on the rise.

Distracted Driving Results in Serious Injuries

According to the CDC, at least 9 lives per day are claimed by the careless behavior of a distracted driver in America.  Likewise, the National Highway Safety Administration notes that nearly 1000 people are injured each day due to a distracted driver.  This problem will only increase as more and more apps, text communications platforms and web-conferencing applications are used by drivers on the roads in the United States.  Expect these numbers to do nothing but increase with time.

Distracted Driving Comes in Many Forms

While texting or looking at ones phone is considered to be the most common form of distracted driving, other forms of distracted driving may result in accidents.  These include:

Manual Distractions

This may include anything that requires you to manually perform some other task while driving such as texting, changing the radio station, retrieving a dropped item or eating.

Visual Distractions

Visual distractions include anything that distracts one’s vision from the roadway such as loud music, a screaming child or looking for a lost item in the car.

Cognitive Distractions

Cognitive distractions are often hard to catch. It usually involves proof that a person’s mind was just not on driving that day.  A skilled distracted driving attorney will be able to determine if the distracted driver was thinking about something important, concerned or otherwise not specifically focused on the task of driving.

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