You’ve probably seen people texting while driving in Florida. It’s a scary fact of life these days that many people are distracted by their smartphones while they drive. However, it may be even more disturbing to look at the numbers. Here are three disturbing facts about distracted driving:
#1: Most car accidents involve a cell phone
In the US, more than 2.5 million people get into motor vehicle accidents every year. Among these accidents, 1.6 million have a cell phone involved. That means that 64% of car accidents could possibly have been avoided if people had just kept their phones in the glove compartment while they drove.
#2: Texting while driving is to blame for 1 in 4 accidents
Texting behind the wheel distracts a driver in several ways. First off, the driver takes at least one hand off the wheel and turns their eyes toward the screen. Additionally, the driver is mentally distracted by whatever is “so important” on their phone. These are some of the reasons why texting and driving has been shown to be more dangerous than drunk driving.
#3: It takes about 3 seconds of distraction to crash
Once a driver becomes distracted by something, it takes about three seconds of inattention for the driver to get into an accident. This distracted driving fact is more disturbing when you compare it to the average time to read a text, which is five seconds.
Distracted drivers may be liable for car accidents they cause
When a car accident is the direct result of a distracted driver, that driver may be ordered to financially compensate the injured victims. An injured car accident victim may be able to subpoena cell phone data to prove that a distracted driver was at fault.