Unfortunately, far too many people are engaging in the dangerous behavior of not paying attention behind the wheel. Playing with smartphone applications like YouTube, email, Facebook or Pokémon Go while you’re sitting in rush hour traffic or travelling at high speeds is unfortunately all too common.
Auto insurance officials are arguing that distracted driving and the use of smartphones are behind the sharp increase in traffic fatalities in 2015 and 2016. These represent the biggest annual percentage increases in 50 years. The U.S. Department of Transportation announced in October that deaths increased by 10.4% in the first months of 2016. After years of declining deaths, a 7.2% increase happened in 2015.
Half a million driver trips also identified that when traffic slows as a result of congestion, many drivers are tempted to pick up their phones to use applications or text. Some of the most common used apps in this situation include Android messaging, Facebook, Google maps, Pokémon Go, Waze, YouTube, Google Chrome, Amazon Music, Netflix and Pandora. The first thing that up to half of drivers do is pull out their phones or their iPads in the event that traffic slows down, but this could lead to deadly distracted driving accidents and significant injuries or deaths.
A California personal injury lawyer can help you if you need help with a car accident claim due to someone else’s distracted driving.