Few things that people do behind the wheel are as dangerous as using the phone. Whether they are talking, texting or browsing the web, they’re putting others in danger. These activities lead to fatal accidents year in and year out.
For instance, in 2017, reports show that 3,166 people lost their lives in car accidents caused by distracted drivers. Some of these fatalities were the distracted drivers themselves, while others were drivers, cyclists or pedestrians that they hit. That’s almost an average of 10 deaths per day, and they are all easily preventable. If people would just stay off of their phones while in the car, all of those individuals would still be alive.
It is also worth noting that these statistics could be too low. They only represent the known accidents caused by distracted driving. It stands to reason that some distracted drivers cause serious crashes and then do not self-report that they were distracted at the time.
With something like drunk driving, police officers can carry out tests to find out what caused the accident. That is not always the case with distraction. There may be no evidence, and a driver who opts to lie about why they caused the accident could at least remove himself or herself from these statistics. How many fatalities really happened because of phone use?
If you get involved in one of these accidents and suffer serious injuries, it is important for you to know if you have a right to financial compensation. It may help you with things like medical bills, lost wages and much more.