If you’re a driver, you’ll know that using a hand-held device is considered to be dangerous when behind the wheel. While you’ll know it’s frowned-upon, you might wonder why. It might be the case that you consider yourself a great driver, and you think that taking a quick look at your phone while behind the wheel will not pose any sort of danger to yourself or others.
However, studies have shown that phone use while driving poses dangers to even the most competent drivers. This is because the dangers associated with this form of distracted driving is not associated with how good of a driver you are – it’s tied with basic psychology.
You can’t be fully focused on two things at once
When you’re behind the wheel, you’re operating a vehicle that has the potential to kill. If you were holding any other potentially deadly device, you would make sure to give the device the utmost respect and handle it with care. You should do the same with a vehicle. When looking at your phone while driving, you are taking your attention away from the road. Doing this for even a split-second could be enough time to hit a pedestrian or become involved in a deadly collision.
A poll shows that 77% of adults and 55% of teenage drivers believe that they can easily use their phones while driving. This statistic is worrying because studies have shown that texting while driving increases the chances of a collision by 23 times.
If you have recently been involved in a car crash, you must make sure that fault is correctly established. If you believe that the other person was texting and driving, an attorney can help you seek compensation through a civil lawsuit.