Washington residents probably know that of all the leading causes of car accidents in America, distracted driving has been receiving the bulk of the focus in recent years. This is particularly true with the rise of the ever-present “smartphone” and most people’s inability to let it be while behind the wheel of vehicles. Many states are even passing laws to prohibit or limit cellphone use while driving.
By now, we’re all familiar with the usual clues that someone is using their cellphone while driving – if they’re in front of you, you can actually see their eyes darting from the road to the cellphone in their hand; they make sharp corrections to stay in their lanes as they realize they have drifted while they were looking at their phone instead of the road; or, even worse, they are flat-out just staring right at their phone instead of watching the road.
Other distractions
But, as the National Safety Council notes on their website dedicated to distracted driving facts, cellphones are not the only distractions that drivers may be focused on instead of driving. So-called “infotainment” centers are becoming omnipresent in vehicles these days – bright, distracting central console screens for controlling everything in the vehicle. Messing with the radio, Bluetooth device connections or other controls can be just as distracting as cellphones.
And, of course, there are other distractions like eating while driving, talking with others in the vehicle and getting distracted and even putting on makeup while driving. Basically, if a person’s focus is not on the task of operating a vehicle safely while behind the wheel, that person may be considered a distracted driver. If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident that was caused by a distracted driver, you may be entitled to financial compensation.