What Using Your Cell Phone While Driving Can Cost You

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In today’s day and age, everyone owns a smartphone. Maybe not everyone, but the majority of people own and operate some type of smartphone on a regular basis. They give us access to everything and fit in the palm of our hands. Why wouldn’t we want these amazing devices?

Unfortunately, many people use their cell phones while driving. They just can’t seem to turn off their phones and focus on the road while in the car. Fortunately, from 2015 to 2016, the percentage of drivers using their smartphones or other electronics declined from 3.8% to 3.3%, respectively.

Although we see this slight decrease in drivers using their cell phones in the car, there are still way too many people doing it. What some of these drivers don’t understand — or do understand and choose to ignore — is that distracted driving is very dangerous, causing horrible motor vehicle accidents.

Talking While Driving
According to It Still Works, “driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity while driving by 37%.” This occurs for a few reasons. The first is that you are probably holding the phone in your hand. This takes one hand away from the wheel and hinders your ability to steer. Speaking on the phone also distracts the driver from what’s happening on the road. If the driver is wrapped up in a phone call, they are probably not paying close enough mind to the cars around them.

Texing While Driving
A driver’s eyes are off the road for about 4.6 seconds when sending or receiving a text message. Taking that valuable time away from watching the road while driving can have some serious consequences.

People get into accidents all the time. Slip and falls or workplace injuries are just some examples. But an accident caused by distracted driving is entirely preventable. Please be sure to never be one of the drivers that causes a horrible accident because of cell phone use. Being hit by a distracted driver can be devastating. Calling a car accident attorney should be your first step.

What do you do if you are involved in a distracted driving accident? Call Travis Mayor, an experienced personal injury lawyer in Oregon. Whether you are dealing with drunk driving, workplace injuries, or distracted driving, Travis Mayor is the personal injury attorney for you.