Perhaps now more than ever before, drivers are distracted due to being on their cell phones, talking with a passenger, watching a movie while illegally entrusting an autopilot system or falling asleep behind the wheel.
In today’s busy world, distracted drivers are dangerous because even a few seconds of not paying full attention to the road could result in a horrific accident with a pedestrian, cyclist or other vehicle.
Distractions Are Everywhere
In January of 2021, Insurance provider Zebra (thezebra.com) reached out anonymously to drivers in the United States to understand the habits they engage in behind the wheel of a car. While a great majority of drivers claim to never drive while distracted, others are more forthcoming to share their many distracting behaviors while driving, most notably texting while driving.
- Life in the fast meal? 52.5% of respondents reported eating while driving, down 4.2% from 2020 respondents (56.7%).
- Aside from eating behind the wheel, drivers admitted to the following distractions at least once while driving in 2020:
- Texting (23.6%)
- Taking photos (11.7%)
- Applying makeup (6.5%)
- Drinking an alcoholic beverage (3.4%)
It is important to note these are self-reported numbers and the real numbers are most likely higher. Additionally, the survey from Zebra asked drivers how they felt about the dangers of various forms of distracted driving:
- 36.4% of participants completely agree that using a mobile device hinders your ability to drive, yet 36% admit to engaging in activities with a cellphone while driving.
- 4.1% of participants ages 25-34 claimed they felt a high degree of pressure to respond to text messages while driving. In total, 12.1% of respondents in that age group felt any pressure to answer a text at all.
- 17.9% of the age group 18-24 felt the most pressure to respond to a text while driving. Interestingly, it is also this age group that is most often in accidents.
Despite numerous studies proving both activities limit your capacity for awareness and focus, less than half of participants completely agree that texting and driving is just as dangerous as drinking and driving.
A look at the comparison between Android and Apple users reveals something interesting about the two OS users:
- 40.4% of Apple users admit engaging with their cellphone while driving, a 13.7% increase from last year’s survey from Zebra Insurance.
- 55.1% of Android users admit engaging with their cellphone while driving, a 2.7% decrease from last year’s survey from Zebra Insurance.
- Source: https://www.thezebra.com/resources/research/distracted-driving-statistics/
What to Bring to your Consultation
In order to provide you with an accurate and thorough consultation, it is helpful to provide the legal team at HarshLaw with as much information as possible about your accident. As you prepare for an initial meeting with our accident lawyers, consider gathering both documentation and your questions so that you can reference them when we speak with you. A meaningful evaluation of your case can be provided if we are able to review the following items:
- Information regarding your injuries – specifically medical bills, hospitalization records, diagnostics, treatments, examinations, prescriptions, etc.
- Evidence of the accident – including any available police report, photographs of the scene and your visible injuries
- Other driver(s) details – name, phone number, insurance carrier, policy number, address, vehicle make/model/year)
- If possible, the names and contact information of any witnesses who saw the accident happen to help us research and coordinate testimony on your behalf
If you are in need of help regarding your pedestrian or cycling accident, contact HarshLaw, an experienced California accident law firm, immediately so our team can start working on your case. We offer a free, no-obligation consultation to talk about your options. Call our office today at (949) 257-2349 or fill out the form on our contact page to get started.