Cellphones are a highly convenient and effective means of communication. When used properly, cellphones help transmit important information and could save lives. Unfortunately, the convenience and ease of using a cellphone nearly anywhere makes it hazardous while you are driving. The National Safety Council (NSC) reports that drivers using cellphones cause about 1.6 million car accidents every year.
Because cellphones are a leading cause of car accidents, Pennsylvania law greatly restricts their use. Texting and using the cellphone to search for information while driving is against the law in Pennsylvania.
Cellphones have greatly increased incidences of distracted driving car accidents. According to the NSC, drivers who text while driving cause about 390,000 injury accidents every year. Texting while driving is the most common way in which distracted driving occurs and can cause drivers to take their eyes off the road for several seconds at a time.
When drivers take their eyes off of the road for five seconds while traveling at highway speeds, they could travel the length of a football field without looking. Driving about 300 feet without looking greatly increases the chances of drifting into oncoming traffic or rear-ending a stopped vehicle or another object. You also might drive onto the shoulder and off of the roadway. Doing so might cause you to hit a pedestrian or cause a rollover accident.
How Can You Avoid a Distracted Driving Car Accident?
Cellphones can be very dangerous even when you are not using them to send and receive text messages. Talking on a cellphone might seem harmless, but it distracts from your ability to focus on driving. The best way to reduce the dangers of a cellphone while driving is to turn it off. You cannot become distracted by a cellphone that is not ringing or chiming because it just received a text message.
Any passengers you might have with you while you are driving should use a cellphone while you are on the road. Your passenger could safely answer the phone, hold conversations, or send and receive text messages.
You might need to use your cellphone to contact someone while you are driving. A hands-free device is the best way to do that, and many states have laws in place that only allow cellphone use via technology that does not require you to hold the phone.
It always is best to pull into a safe area where you can place a call or hold a conversation while you are traveling. A rest stop is an ideal location to do that if you are traveling a long distance and also enables you to take a break during your trip.
West Chester Car Accident Lawyers at Eckell Sparks Help Car Accident Survivors Who Have Been Injured in Distracted Driving Crashes
Your best efforts to drive safely might not be enough to prevent someone else from causing an accident. You can contact us online or call 610-565-3701 to schedule an initial consultation with one of our experienced West Chester car accident lawyers at Eckell, Sparks, Levy, Auerbach, Monte, Sloane, Matthews & Auslander, P.C. Located in Media and West Chester, Pennsylvania, we represent clients in Delaware County, Chester County, and Montgomery County.