Every driver must operate their vehicle safely; however, when a driver is distracted behind the wheel, the potential for accidents dramatically increases. Distracted driving causes deadly traffic crashes.
A distracted driver may be liable for your injuries if they cause a car accident. The best way to get the compensation you deserve without worrying about leaving any money on the table is to hire an experienced accident attorney. Call a car accident attorney in your area immediately to protect your legal rights after an accident.
Many things distract a driver while operating a vehicle, and each can have devastating results. Continue reading to learn more about distracted driving, how to prevent these accidents and save countless lives, and how a car accident lawyer can help you recover compensation if a distracted driver injured you.
What Is Distracted Driving?
Distracted driving includes any action that requires a driver to take their focus off driving. Maybe you can multitask in other areas of your life, but you should never attempt to drive while doing something else. Taking your eyes off the road for even a second can lead to a life-threatening injury. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in recent years, 3,142 people died in accidents caused by distracted drivers.
Distracted driving includes texting and driving, changing the music, checking the GPS, talking to your passengers, eating or drinking, impaired driving, or any other activity that causes you to lose focus on driving.
Types of Distracted Driving
There are three broad categories of distracted driving. Any activity that falls into these categories can cause a massive accident.
Distracted driving usually falls into one of these categories:
- Cognitive: Cognitive distracted driving refers to a driver taking their mind off driving. An example of cognitive distracted driving is daydreaming while driving. Your focus should remain on driving while your vehicle is on the road.
- Manual: Manual distracted driving is a driver taking their hands off the wheel. A driver should always keep their hands on the wheel.
- Visual: Visual distracted driving means the driver takes their eyes off the road.
Consequences of Distracted Driving
The consequences of distracted driving can be life-changing. Even being distracted for a moment can lead to a car crash. The following are some of the consequences of distracted driving:
Injuries
The risk of injury is the most obvious consequence of distracted driving. Texting and driving can lead to severe injury or death. If all drivers focus only on driving, it greatly reduces the risk of injury.
Property Damage
Distracted driving accidents don’t only lead to severe injuries but also massive property damage. To avoid property damage, drivers should keep their focus on driving.
Statistics About How Distracted Driving Affects Drivers Across the Country
Some statistics of distracted driving include:
- Around 400,000 people suffered an injury in distracted driving accidents across the country
- Almost 3,000 people die in an accident that was caused by a distracted driver each year across the United States
- Around 20 percent of people who died in distracted driving accidents in recent years were not inside a motor vehicle. These people were bicyclists or pedestrians.
What Drivers Are Most Likely to Cause Accidents While Distracted?
Any driver can be in an accident that involves a distracted driver. Some groups of drivers are more prone to making the mistake of driving while distracted.
Examples of groups that are more likely to get into a distracted driving accident include:
- Drivers aged 15 to 20 get into more distracted driving accidents than other drivers. Of the types of accidents that this age group is involved in, distracted driving is responsible for more than nine percent of the total number of accidents.
- Of the student drivers surveyed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), older students were more likely to email and text while driving.
- The CDC reported that 35 percent of Hispanic students, 30 percent of Black students, and 44 percent of white students reported that they texted while driving.
Of course, anyone can become distracted while driving, and distracted drivers include more than those mentioned above. If you think someone caused your crash while distracted, you might have important legal rights.
How Can We Prevent Distracted Driving?
Every driver can do their part to prevent distracted driving accidents. No matter who you are, you can contribute to the effort to end distracted driving. While this might not eliminate your risk of injuries in a crash, everyone doing their part can help overcome this public safety issue.
Some examples of groups preventing distracted driving include:
Parents of Teenage Drivers
Parents should always encourage their children to practice vehicle safety as they approach driving age. It is important that parents model good driving behaviors well before their teenage takes control of the wheel. Teaching good habits sooner rather than later can prevent accidents in the future.
Teenage Drivers
Teens influence each other, perhaps more than any other group. It is important to inform teenage drivers about the dangers of distracted driving and encourage them to discuss how to prevent accidents caused by taking their focus off the road with their friends and peers.
Community Programs
Many community programs across the country focus on eliminating distracted driving habits. Texting while driving is the most considerable risk people take on the road, and if a driver chooses to use their phone while driving, there can be devastating consequences.
Fortunately, programs focused on ending texting and driving in many states across the country include:
- End Distracted Driving
- Stay Alive. . .Just Drive
- Teens Against Distracted Driving
- Safe America Foundation
- StopDistractions.org
- Street Safe
- TxtResponsibly.org
- It Can Wait
- Stop Texting AND Driving Distracted (STANDD)
- People Against Distracted Driving
- Salt & Light Productions
- UNITE’s Arrive Alive Tour
What Should I Do After a Car Accident Due to a Distracted Driver?
After being in a car accident due to a distracted driver, you must ensure that you protect your legal rights and take care of your medical needs. Taking these steps ensures that you put yourself in the best position to receive the compensation you deserve after a car accident.
First, you should see a doctor immediately. You must get the medical care you need after an injury, even if you do not think you suffered a severe injury. Getting medical treatment quickly can help you win your case. When car accident victims delay getting medical treatment after the accident, the car accident claim loses value.
If you get medical care directly after an accident, then the insurance company has less of a chance to argue that your injuries occurred due to something else other than the accident. Get medical care immediately after a car crash.
After you receive medical care, contact an experienced car accident attorney in your area. You should speak to a car accident attorney before you talk to anyone else, especially the other driver’s insurance company.
A car accident attorney can protect your legal rights after a car accident. Having a car accident attorney working for you increases your chance of maximizing your compensation after a car accident.
How Can an Accident Attorney Help Me?
A car accident attorney helps protect your legal rights after an accident. You can think of car accident attorneys as a shield that prevents the other driver’s insurance company and defense attorneys from taking advantage of you.
How can car accident attorneys can help you win your case?
- Your car accident attorney will help you file a lawsuit against the other driver and their insurance company. Filing a lawsuit can get complicated, and having a car accident attorney with experience increases your chances of positive results at pretrial negotiations or trial. There is no reason to go it alone after a car accident. Contact a car accident attorney in your area to ensure you get the money you need to recover from your injuries.
- A car accident lawyer helps you build your case by working with you on how to tell your story in a compelling way for the jury. Proper trial preparation by an experienced car accident attorney will ensure that you do not fall into the trap of downplaying your injuries at trial. You suffered an injury, and you deserve total compensation for your damages.
- A car accident lawyer negotiates on your behalf. This is likely your first car accident claim and your first time in a settlement negotiation or lawsuit. Insurance companies know that. A car accident attorney will help ensure that you are not taken advantage of by an insurance company or defense counsel.
- A car accident attorney will take care of all the legal stuff. There are many rules you must comply with, and if you do not, the case may fail on a technical basis. If you hire an experienced car accident attorney, you need not worry about the procedural rules, what to say in court, or how to respond to correspondence from insurance companies. The only thing you need to worry about is getting better.
- A car accident attorney can help you access the medical care you need. Some doctors are cautious about treating accident victims because it may mean the doctor gets involved in litigation. If you hire an accident attorney immediately, your lawyer can speak to the doctor to assure them about treating you. A lawyer can also convince a doctor to treat you while delaying payment until your case concludes.
- Your car accident attorney will also help answer your questions that may come up while the lawsuit is pending. One of the best things about getting a car accident attorney is having the option of calling up your legal team if you have questions, and you do not have to rely on an internet search that may have incorrect information and lead you down a rabbit hole.
- Your car accident attorney will also help you avoid correspondence from debt collectors while the lawsuit is pending. If you hire a car accident attorney, you may have the option of providing your attorney’s contact information to the hospital’s billing department and other debt collection agencies. Your attorney’s office can communicate on your behalf.
What if I Cannot Afford an Accident Attorney?
Being unable to afford a car accident attorney may keep many injury victims from pursuing compensation after an injury. If you cannot afford an attorney, do not worry. Many car accident attorneys across the country work on a contingency fee basis. A contingency fee agreement is a payment structure that allows an injury client to defer payment for their injuries to the end of their case.
The terms of the contingency agreement must be in writing and signed by both the attorney and the client. You must understand the terms of the agreement before you sign the paperwork.
Most contingency agreements state who must pay litigation costs and expenses and, more importantly, how much money the attorney will receive after you reach a settlement. Litigation expenses include filing fees, money for copies and postage, and other costs that come up while the lawsuit is pending. An attorney’s firm may pay for these costs during the case, but the client must reimburse the attorney’s office after the case closes.
As for attorney’s fees, a contingency fee agreement usually dictates that the attorney will receive a certain percentage of the settlement or award from a successful case.
Contingency fee arrangements remove the financial pressure of pursuing a lawsuit from the car accident victim. Do not be afraid to speak to the car accident attorneys you meet about their payment structures.
Contact a Car Accident Attorney Today
Car Accident Attorney, Phillip J. Barkett
Hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer is the best way to set yourself up for a successful accident claim. Insurance adjusters and defense lawyers have one goal in mind – to protect the bottom line. They will work hard against you after you file an accident claim to accomplish this goal. Your attorney works to combat that. Do not pursue an accident claim alone. Call a car accident attorney in your area to protect your right to compensation after an accident.