A significant portion of auto accidents are the result of driver distraction—a failure, for whatever reason, on the part of the driver to stay focused on the road.
Numerous studies show distracted driving to be just as dangerous as driving while drunk. It is crucial that everyone behind the wheel of a moving vehicle keep their full attention on the road. Common examples of distracted driving include texting, talking on a non-hands free phone, getting something off the floor or out of the glove compartment, looking at directions, changing the music, turning to talk to other people, eating or drinking, or looking at someone or something on the side of the road.
Distracted driving and liability
To get a sense of how dangerous distracted driving can be, consider this—if you’re driving at 60 miles per hour (average highway speed), that’s about 90 feet per second. This means if you take your eyes off the road for two seconds, you travel about 60 yards, essentially while blind to what’s happening on the roads. That means by the time four seconds pass, you’ve traveled the length of a football field without looking at the road. Think of how much can change on the road in such a short amount of time.
The hard part is proving the other driver was actually distracted at the time. Your attorney may be able to get a hold of phone records to show the driver was on the phone or texting at the time of the accident. App usage records might also show when an app was in session. Other types of distraction, though, are much harder to prove.
If you’ve been injured in an accident caused by a distracted driver, contact an experienced Bradenton, FL personal injury lawyer at Goldman, Babboni, Fernandez & Walsh to learn more about how to proceed with your case.