Victim Of A Car Accident? Was It Due To Distracted Driving?
When the New Jersey driver in front of you is weaving across lanes, speeding up and the next minute slowing down again, is the first thought that comes to mind that this driver must be driving under the influence? Probably, but, this may not be the case. In fact, a person who texts while driving exhibits exactly the same driving characteristics. Just like in the case of a DUI driver, texting drivers may cause a car accident because they are not paying attention to the task at hand.
It seems as if the smarter the phones become, the more chances people take while driving. Did you know that, per a recent report, 61 percent of people text, 31 percent send emails with their phones and 33 percent surf the Internet while driving? Even more frightening is the fact that 17 percent of the participants indicated that they take selfies while driving and 10 percent acknowledged that they video chat while driving. While many would think that the participants were all young people, they were actually between 16 and 65 years of age.
Drivers, who use their phones while driving do not only endanger themselves, but everybody in their vicinity. Perhaps, you have been the victim of an accident because you were in the vicinity when a distracted driver lost control of the vehicle. One thing these drivers forget is that they are responsible for everybody near them, including those in the car with them and the people sharing the road with them.
A recent New Jersey court case illustrates the zero tolerance for distracted driving. The judge in that case ruled that anybody texting someone they know is driving may also be held liable in case of a car accident, not only the driver. If you or a family member has been seriously injured in a car accident caused by a distracted driver, you may choose to file a wrongful death claim against the alleged negligent driver. Successfully litigated wrongful death claims may assist you in recovering financially from the losses that resulted from the accident.
Source: host.madison.com, “Ann S. Jacobs: ‘Shut up and drive’“, Ann S. Jacobs, June 13, 2015
