If a driver is using their phone in the car, it’s clear that they’re distracted. Maybe they’re trying to read a text message as they drift back and forth in their lane. Maybe they are programming their GPS instructions, so they don’t react properly to traffic signals.
Cellphones can create distractions in many different ways, and they take a person’s attention away from the road. What some people will decide to do, however, is to set the phone down when they’re driving and pick it up whenever they have to stop. Maybe they get stuck in a traffic jam or they pull up to a red light. They’ll use these intervals to engage with their phone because they think that’s safer than doing so while they drive.
The problem with this tactic
It is good that drivers are conscious of the fact that they shouldn’t use their phones while operating the vehicle. This is very dangerous and it leads to thousands of fatal accidents every year.
However, using the phone when the car is stopped isn’t necessarily a perfect fix. Research shows that the cognitive distractions from using the device last for around half a minute – 27 seconds – after a person stops using that device.
In other words, if the driver sets their phone down when the traffic light turns green or when traffic starts to move around them, they’re still technically distracted for another half a minute and could cause a serious crash. That cellphone distraction is still the root cause, even though they are not holding the phone at the time of the accident.
Have you been injured?
Unfortunately, driving distractions are one of the main issues on the roads in the United States. If you have been hit and injured by a distracted driver, you may be able to seek financial compensation for medical bills and other costs.