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Smartphone use while driving may not be going down

On Behalf of | Apr 3, 2019 | Personal Injury |

For the past few years, many sources have warned Kentucky drivers about the dangers of distracted driving. Some states, including Kentucky, have sought to prohibit certain practices that cause distraction while operating a motor vehicle. However, a recent poll by a national insurance carrier suggests that the warnings may not be getting through to many.

The data was taken from two separate polls. The first was a survey of 1,000 consumer drivers. The other poll consisted of 1,000 business executives. It was conducted on a nationwide basis.

Almost one third of all participants admitted to nearly being involved in a crash while being distracted. Nearly half admitted to writing an email or text message while driving. Between 10 and 25 percent admitted to browsing social media sites or shopping while driving. Each of these activities can be a major distraction when on the road.

Many drivers are not using preventive measures installed in a typical smartphone: Few turn off their phones or use the ‘Do Not Disturb” feature while driving. In some cases, people are fearful of job repercussions. For example, one in five people admitted to answering work-related messages. In other cases, people show addictive tendencies. Over 10 percent of the poll participants responded that they would find it difficult to give up texting while driving even if it was illegal.

A vehicle accident can be extremely expensive: According to studies, the average cost of a fatal accident is over $1 million. The average injury claim is over $75,000.

Distracted driving can have significant emotional and physical effects on the victim of a car accident. In the case of a fatality, lives besides that of the victim can be ruined due to one distracted driving accident. This is the reason more and more states have made texting while driving illegal and others have put prohibitions on the use of cellphones behind the wheel. A personal injury lawyer may be able to help a victim or their family recoup costs for the severe emotional and physical damage that the negligent driver caused.

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