A staggering number of car accidents can be directly linked to someone who was texting at the time. By some estimates, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), anywhere between 20% and 40% of all traffic collisions that cause serious injury or death involve at least one driver who was distracted by their cellphone. In order to try to reduce this dramatic and upsetting percentage, many automakers are including hands-free devices built into new standard models. While this might seem like a step in the right direction, the National Safety Council (NSC) has warned that it might actually be causing just as much harm as good. Through various studies of their own, the NSC was able to determine that hands-free devices in vehicles – whether they are built into the console directly or added on as a bonus, Bluetooth device – provided no additional safety features and did not make any impact in lowering the number of accidents. For some drivers, a hands-free device might even increase their chances of getting into a collision, as it provides them with a false sense of security and safety; rather than never picking up a cellphone while driving, they might be inclined to try out a hands-free device.
It Is Never Safe to Text & Drive
The bottom line is that there is never a safe time to use your smartphone while driving. The human mind is simply not suited for such complex, each-second-counts type of multitasking. Some safety groups have determined that a cognitive distraction – something that takes the mind away from the task at hand – typically lasts close to 30 seconds more after the actual distraction ends; that is to say, if you grab your cellphone and look at it for just one second, your mind will still be distracted for half a minute. Self-driving cars are also not expected to make driving and texting safe. Tesla and other automakers exploring fully autonomous cars have consistently warned that someone should always be seated behind the steering wheel, paying full attention, and keeping hands on the wheel, just in case something goes wrong.
Struck By a Texting Driver?
If you were in a car accident and believe the other driver was distracted at the time of the collision, proving it could be monumental for your case’s strength. For professional help with constructing your case and claim, call 1-419-719-5195 to connect with Williams DeClark Tuschman Co., L.P.A. and our firm’s Toledo car accident attorneys. We are backed by 50+ years of total experience and multiple multimillion dollar settlements and verdicts.