California motorists may be more likely to use their cellphones than in previous years. A study conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that since 2013, the number of drivers who said they used their cellphones either fairly often or regularly went up almost 50 percent. However, almost 90 percent said they believed distracted driving was serious in the same way as actions like drunk driving and that it was on the rise.
The survey of more than 2,600 drivers who had driven in the past month and were 16 or older also found that almost 50 percent said they had used a handheld phone, almost 45 percent reported reading an email or text and nearly two-thirds said they had sent one. In spite of these behaviors, almost 58 percent believed that talking on a phone while driving was a safety issue and more than three-fourths said that texting was dangerous. Despite this, a majority did not support banning all cellphone use while driving.
Other studies have found that talking on the phone while driving makes a person four times more likely to have an accident. Texting drivers are eight times more likely. Although federal estimates show distracted driving crashes decreasing, these cases may be underreported because they can be difficult to track and prove.
People who are injured in accidents caused by distracted drivers may want to consult Costa Mesa auto accident injury lawyers. While the insurance company of the driver who causes an accident is supposed to compensate people who are injured, this may not always happen. The driver could be uninsured or underinsured, the offer may be too low, or the insurance company might dispute the extent of a person’s injuries. An attorney may be able to help reach a settlement or file a lawsuit.
