Even though nearly every driver recognizes the dangers of distracted driving, we still see them all over Pennsylvania roads. They might drift out of their lanes on the highway or be slow to start when the light turns green; you might hear their brakes screech as they come to a quick stop because they didn’t see traffic stopping ahead of them.
Sadly, distracted driving remains a very real problem in all states, despite the massive efforts to stop it by safety advocates, law enforcement agencies and even car companies. And people are getting seriously injured or killed in accidents caused by inattentive drivers.
What is distracting drivers?
There are numerous types of distractions that pull people’s attention away from the road.
- Eating
- Grooming
- Tending to passengers or kids in the backseat
- Searching for an address on a GPS
But perhaps the most common source of distraction is using a cellphone. Instead of focusing on driving, people are sending texts, reading emails, updating Instagram and even playing games on their phones.
What can we do to stop distraction behind the wheel?
Unfortunately, laws, accident simulation and other efforts to stop driver distraction are proving to be less effective than people expected. Educating drivers and showing them the consequences of this dangerous behavior just is not helping to reduce distracted driving.
What would help, according to a recent survey, are incentives from insurance providers and receiving gift cards and promotions as rewards for reducing distracted driving. However, the availability of these options is too limited to have a real impact at this point.
What does this mean for other motorists?
There are still plenty of distracted drivers on the road, and this means there is a risk of accident for every motorist.
While you may not be able to stop distracted driver from causing an accident, you can hold him or her accountable for the damage that results with a legal claim. Not only does this allow you to pursue the compensation you may deserve, but it could send a message to other drivers that there are consequences for dangerous, distracted driving.