Car Accidents Caused by Smartphone Use
With the advent of digital communications came a rapid evolution of telecommunication devices that have given us the smartphone. Now more than ever, people are connected to each other and various forms of media. Unfortunately, with technical innovation can come with some negative aspects as well. Many people behind the wheel end up texting and using smartphones for a plethora of other reasons when they should be paying attention to the road. Needless to say, this causes plenty of accidents that injure and even kill massive amounts of people every year.
Distracted driving is easily one of the most common reasons people are involved in car accidents and has only seemed to have gotten worse with time. People can be distracted while driving in a number of ways whether through conversation, eating, or trying to switch the music. Of all these forms of distraction, texting and driving has caused the most accidents and should be avoided at all cost.
Distracted Driving Car Accident Claims
Those that have been injured in distracted driving accidents can seek compensation for their injuries. By filing a claim, victims of reckless drivers that text and use smartphones while driving can hold those at fault for accidents accountable. By proving that a driver was distracted and caused the accident and by extension their injuries, a plaintiff can make a case for receiving a settlement that can help pay for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, etc.
Distracted Driving Explained
A simple definition of distracted driving is the operation of a vehicle while focus is placed on a different task. For example, eating while driving is considered distracted driving. The driver is attempting to eat while at the same time steer a vehicle and maintain awareness of the vehicles around them. Naturally, this results in a decrease in the efficiency and safety of that person’s driving since their focus is split therefore there are more chances for them to miss a car turning into their lane or the car in front of them slamming the brakes.
When it comes to something like texting and driving the distraction can be much worse. At least certain distracted driving behaviors still include a driver’s eyes on the road but texting will often require more of a driver’s cognitive and motor faculties. This means that drivers have their eyes off of the road when they text and drive and they have decreased physical ability to operate the vehicle with one hand occupied texting.
It is commonly known that even taking your eyes off the road for even a second while traveling at high speed can result in several feet traveled blindly where a lot can happen. If you’re driving at 55 miles an hour and you take your eyes off the road for 5 seconds then you will be travelling 80.7 feet a second. Multiplied by 5 that is 403 feet over several seconds. That is longer than an entire football field at 360 feet. The international space station coincidentally is about the same length at 356 feet. So essentially you’d be driving blind across the length of the largest manmade object in space. Some people claim that they can keep their eyes on the road by putting their phone up. This is ,of course, false since looking at a phone screen has been shown to reduce your field of view significantly and give what some call “tunnel vision”.
From Texting and Driving to Smartphone Use in General
Texting and driving is bad enough but smartphone use in general is quickly becoming just as bad, if not worse. Social media is the biggest offender when it comes to the distraction of drivers due to smartphones. Snapchat, facebook, instagram, etc. all hold the attention of too many drivers that end up colliding with other vehicles, pedestrians, static objects, and more. Social media usage is only increasing as time goes on and sometimes demands more attention than simply texting. Motorists with smart phones use hand-held devices in 88 out of every 100 trips, according to data collected by Zendrive. A troubling statistic considering the level of risk it indicates.
Smartphone Use and Your Claim
Smartphone use while driving is considered a negligent behavior. If you can prove that someone was using their smartphone when they caused an accident with you then that can help your car accident claim greatly. Phone records or even just a visit to an at-fault driver’s social media pages is sometimes all it takes to show if they caused the accident because of smartphone use.
Consider Eberst Law For Your Car Accident Claim
The best thing you can do when you are severely injured in a car accident is seek a lawyer experienced in car accident injury claims. You technically could pursue a claim on your own but the odds of you successfully navigating the many pitfalls of insurance tricks and legal process is greatly diminished. Insurance companies have everything they need to successfully deny a claim; as that is their goal since profits are their main priority. Insurance companies have the experience, personnel, resources, lawyers, and money to fight a claim to any extent necessary. If it turns into a “who can withstand the storm longer” type of situation, the answer will always be the insurance company when competing against an injured victim on their own.
It doesn’t cost you anything to get an injury attorney to look at your case. Likewise, car accident lawyers don’t cost anything out of your pocket since they work on a contingency fee basis. This means they take a percentage of the settlement once the claim is seen through and don’t get paid at all if the injury victim doesn’t recover financial compensation. You or your loved one are likely significantly injured if you are even considering hiring a car accident attorney in the first place. So you should focus on your recovery while a professional works to maximize your settlement with the insurance companies and courts.
If you have been injured in a car accident in the Stuart, Florida or Gainesville, Florida area, contact the experienced personal injury team at The Eberst Law Firm. We are ready to handle your case. You can contact us online or call us at 772-225-4900.
Stuart, Florida Office
101 SE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
Stuart, FL 34994
Gainesville, Florida Office
716 E. University Avenue
Gainesville, FL 32601
