Despite the focus the news has put on distracted driving, people still do it. In fact, when polled, over 80% of drivers said they text and drive at least once or twice a week. This number is probably closer to once or twice a day.
More than 3,000 die every year in this country because of distracted driving accidents. It is actually the third highest caused of car crashes in the U.S. And, Georgia is no different. In Georgia, this number has almost doubled in the last five years.
People just don’t realize how dangerous distracted driving can be. We read stories about people killed in texting and driving accidents all the time. Yet, people still do it. They get behind the wheel and don’t pay attention to what they’re doing.
Your car accident attorney in Athens is all too familiar with these statistics.
Your Car Accident Attorney in Athens Knows How to Handle These Cases
The number of distracted driving accident continues to go up every year. This is despite the public service announcements put out by Georgia law enforcement. The problem with distracted driving accidents is that they can be more dangerous than other types of crashes. Even if the accident isn’t fatal, they tend to cause very serious injuries.
The Georgia lawmakers have already made it clear that they want to put an end to distracted driving. They set a goal to write almost 15,000 distracted driving tickets per year by 2020. They figure if they’re strict enough, people will finally change their behavior.
Car accident lawyers in Athens know that enforcing the law won’t cut down on distracted driving. People still drink and drive despite how harsh the laws are. They still drive without their seatbelt on. And, they’ll continue to drive while distracted.
Your Car Accident Attorney in Athens Knows How Dangerous Distracted Driving Can Be
One thing that would cut down on distracted driving si if we held drivers strictly liable. There has to be a way to prove that they were doing something they shouldn’t have been doing at the time of the accident. One way to do this is to require that dashcams, and reverse dashcams, be required in all new cars. Eventually, this would provide us with video of all drivers within a few years.
If people are caught driving while distracted, they’d be held strictly liable. So, even if the other driver was partially at fault, it wouldn’t matter. They would be held liable for any damages caused in the accident.
Your car accident attorney in Athens has to prove causation. This takes time and money. It also means that insurance companies aren’t as quick to settle. If we had evidence of distracted driving in most case, it would be easier to resolve these lawsuits.
Eventually, we’ll have ways of preventing people from texting and driving. We’ll also be able to block the use of handheld devices while your car is in gear. Since this technology is a ways off, car accident lawyers have to go after distracted drivers until then.
How Does Distracted Driving Compare to Texting and Driving?
Distracted driving involves a lot more than just texting and driving. Yes, cell phones account for most of the distractions on the road. However, distracted driving can include things such as:
- Eating
- Doing your makeup
- Changing the radio station
- Reading a map
- Talking and goofing around with passengers
- Watching other drivers on the road
Lawyers can’t do anything to stop people from doing these things. All they can do is force people to be held liable for doing it.
Some types of distracted driving can be proved. You can refer to cell phone records to show that someone was talking or texting at the time of the accident. And, dashcams and intersection videos provide some evidence. However, it comes down to proving negligence like in any other car accident case.
Contact a Car Accident Attorney in Athens, Georgia Today
If you’ve been injured in a distracted driving accident, you need to call a car accident attorney in Athens, Georgia today. He can review your case and let you know if you have a valid claim. He can also give you an idea of what your case may be worth.
The initial consultation is absolutely free and you pay nothing until you settle your case. The other driver is going to have an attorney working for him and you should too!