Cars are the most common and most popular type of transportation for people and goods all over the world. It is the most efficient way of traveling and it might not be as fast as airplanes were trains, but it is fast enough. The fuel is also inexpensive, vehicles are affordable to the average person and it is easy to learn. Unfortunately, with so many people driving every single day through the cities of the world, accidents tend to happen and the biggest culprit is cell phones.
However, cell phones are just part of the reason why they cause so many accidents all the time. It is us people who make the decision to look at the phone while driving. I believe that doing this is illegal in almost every country on this planet. It has been scientifically proven that getting distracted in any way can lead to a serious accident. Losing focus on what is in front of the vehicle is very dangerous.
Unfortunately, smartphones are here to stay and they are getting even more entertaining to people, which ultimately leads to even more car accidents around the planet. There is no easy solution to this problem. We cannot just take away phones from people because they are heavily integrated and a huge part of our society. Many of us depend on calls, SMS, and online messaging.
This is a complicated topic, but I assume that you want to know more about this, which is why I decided to write this article and get into detail about how cell phones cause accidents and what we can do to stop that, or at try and prevent it.
Why is it such a problem?
One of the most common questions people have when it comes to this subject is:
Why are phone such a big problem while driving? Well, I think that the answer to this question is really simple. The human mind is truly capable of doing all kinds of things.
It is even able to handle multiple tasks at the same time. But, not every person is built the same way, which means that not every mind works and things in the same manner.
What does this mean? It means that one person is skilled enough in multitasking enough to drive and look at a display at the same time while another is unable to do these two tasks at the same time. So, even if the first person is driving safely, the other one will make a mistake and will lead to a collision.
Of course, just because someone is able to multitask, that does not mean they should do it or that it is safe at all. Even the slightest loss of concentration or just one mistake can lead to a serious and dangerous accident.
So, the best way to deal with this is to just ban the use of these devices while driving.
Legal issues
Even if you do find yourself to be a great driver and someone that is capable of multitasking, I would never recommend looking at your device while you are in several ton vehicles that might cause serious injuries to people and damage to property. It is your responsibility to guide this heavy machinery as best as you can. The moment you forget about this responsibility, you are putting the lives of others in danger.
And, it is not just about responsibility. There are laws and regulations that are against the use of these devices while you are in a vehicle. If the police catch you looking down on your phone or talking while driving, you will get stopped and you will get a fine. In some places, they might take your license away or might even lock you up in jail. This is a serious offense and you should not take it lightly.
It is also important to mention that looking at a cell phone during an accident can also hurt your liability. Let me give you an example. You are on the road with your vehicle and glancing at the display for just a few moments. You are still paying great attention to the road, but someone else runs a red light and hits you. If witnesses claim that you were on your phone during the accident, you may be at fault even though the other person ran through a red light and hit you.
To put it simply, these devices can alter the legal outcome of traffic accidents. That is why I suggest you to be a lot more careful these days because there are so many drivers that are distracted with them using smartphones to text and to talk, we can easily conclude why the number of injury-causing and fatal car accidents continue to increase in cities like Los Angeles, say attorneys at McNicholas & McNicholas.
What can we do to prevent accidents caused by cell phone use?
I assume that you are now questioning yourself about what exactly can be done to prevent these accidents from ever happening. Well, it is obvious that the answer to this problem is not simple at all. So many have tried to deter people from using these devices while driving, but it seems like those tries have been futile.
But, I believe that there are still a lot of ways we could convince people to stop using smartphones while driving their vehicles. With enough planning and strategic marketing, I think that governments will be able to make a change in the world otherwise, the number of collisions will increase every year.
The more advanced smartphones get, the more distracted people are going to get. I believe that every driver should aim to raise as much awareness as possible that these devices can be dangerous while driving.
In the end, if we are unable to find a solution to this problem, the only thing that might reduce the number of accidents throughout the world would be autopilots. But, that future is still quite a few years away.
