By now, most of our readers in Wisconsin know how dangerous distracted driving can be. In fact, this national plague on our roads has seemingly only been getting worse. A recent news article noted that, since 2000, an estimated 624,000 people have died in fatal traffic accidents in America. Many of these deaths were caused by distracted driving.
As we all know, the primary distraction for drivers is the ever-present smartphone. These days, cellphones are essentially mini computers that are capable of doing much more than just placing and receiving calls. Drivers are distracted by the ability to text, send emails and even look at the Internet while driving. Distracted drivers may miss important road signs, speed or swerve in their lanes. Any number of issues can occur when drivers take their eyes off of the road and attention away from the task of driving, even for a few seconds.
Since we all know the danger of distracted driving, it should be easy to avoid, right? Just like we all know that driving after consuming alcohol is a bad idea and most of us avoid that. However, it seems that the allure of the smartphone or other distractions, such as “infotainment” systems in new cars, eating, putting on makeup or even just talking to someone else in the vehicle is too much of a temptation for many drivers in Wisconsin.
Unfortunately, the omnipresence of distracted driving means that each year, thousands of Wisconsin residents could be injured by distracted drivers. Injured victims from these accidents may have personal injury legal options to consider.
