Criminal charges are now pending after an accident that killed two women was determined to have been caused by distracted driving. A third woman, who was a passenger in the car with the two women who died, was critically injured. A truck driven by a young man who was distracted by a conversation with his passenger drifted into oncoming traffic and struck the car. The truck flipped over, injuring the driver and his passenger.
Distracted driving is a frequent cause of motor vehicle wrecks. Approximately eighty percent of accidents and sixty-five percent near-miss situations involved some distraction. The most talked about distractions are cell phone use and texting, which are illegal in many places, but the aforementioned accident involved something that many of us engage in every day – person to person conversation within the vehicle. Other common distractions are drowsiness, eating and drinking, applying makeup, and using a radio or other entertainment. The most unfortunate part of distracted driving accidents is that they take so little time to occur – there is an average of three seconds between the distraction and the accident.
Knowing the risk posed by various activities can help drivers make better choices regarding distractions and driving. Driver behavior is by far the biggest influence that can be used to reduce distracted driving accidents, but there is also some technological help that has been developed in the hope of further reducing the incidence of distracted driving accidents. An aftermarket product was developed which can prevent distracted driving accidents. Interestingly enough, this “new” technology uses radar, which is a technology that has been around for quite some time, to alert drivers when they are in danger of a collision. The radar envelops the vehicle with a sort of “shield” and makes a sound to notify the driver that they are getting too close to another vehicle or an object, or if they are drifting out of their lane.
The “radar shield” isn’t the only technology that has been developed to address the problem of distracted driving. There are a few different types of phone suppression devices on the market. These devices help drivers to keep their eyes off of their phones and on the road. They do this by blocking incoming text messages and sending out automated replies that you are driving. The phone suppression devices can also be set to direct all incoming calls to your voicemail.
Barrett Law PLLC: Support for Mississippi Automobile Accident Victims and Their Families
Accidents involving distracted driving are tragic because many distractions are preventable. When a person gets in a car accident, they may face a lengthy recovery and have to miss work as medical bills and household bills pile up. If you have lost a loved one, the grief can be hard to bear, and your family needs time to heal. Pursuing a claim for damages under either of those circumstances can seem like a daunting prospect. The Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC help accident victims and their families recover physically and financially after automobile wrecks. Please call our office at 1 (800) 707-9577 to schedule your free, initial consultation.