It’s clear to many drivers that distraction is dangerous. If a driver is looking at their phone, they may have a near miss where they don’t see that traffic stopped ahead of them and they have to slam on the brakes. These types of events are enough to show people that they should put the phone down while they drive if they want to focus on safety.
Unfortunately, many people try to seek a balance. They still want to check their phone, using it to stream music, program GPS coordinates or just communicate with friends or coworkers. But to make it safe, they decide they will only do that if they are stopped at a red light or in traffic. As long as they’re driving, they won’t use their phone. They will set it down on the seat beside them.
Why this isn’t as safe as it seems
The truth is that this isn’t much safer than just texting and driving. Studies have looked into distraction and found that it lasts for around 27 seconds after a person stops using their phone. They are still cognitively distracted by whatever it was that they were doing on their device.
So what often happens is that a driver quickly sets their phone down when the light turns green, as cars around them begin moving. They start driving before they’re fully focused on the road. That driver may cause an accident and not even understand why because they think that they avoided major driving distractions. But the truth is that their brain was distracted the entire time, whether they were holding the device or not.
If you’ve been hit by a distracted driver, it’s crucial that you know how to seek financial compensation for medical bills and related costs.
