Though it has been illegal to use a hand-held phone in California for the last 10 years, the percentage of drivers using their phones while driving increased in 2018. According to people present at intersections around California, at any one moment, 4.5 percent of drivers were using their cellphones in 2018. This demonstrated an increase from 3.6 percent last year.
Understandably, this has raised some concern with safety officials. Though social norms and beliefs surrounding phone usage while driving have caused the number of people texting-and driving to go down from 2016, when 7.6 percent were seen using their phone, the number even now is unacceptable, given the dangers of distracted driving.
The study also found that drivers who were alone were eight times more likely to use their phones than those who had passengers, and less than two percent of drivers with children in their car used their phones. Rather than talk on the phone, drivers were using their phones to perform functions such as texting. Actually, a new law in California allows drivers to only use mounted phones, activated by one swipe-handheld use was banned in 2017. Drivers were also more likely to use their phones on local roads rather than highways.
Distracted driving is a danger on any road and at any time. A car accident caused by distracted driving is one that could have been avoided entirely if the driver had been paying attention to the task at hand-driving. Holding a distracted driver accountable for their behavior through a personal injury lawsuit may provide much needed financial recovery to accident victims struggling with medical bills after the crash.
