It is easy to judge young people for letting their phones distract them. Every time you walk near a high school at dismissal time, you see teens ambling along the sidewalk, staring at their phones, unaware of each other or of the vehicular traffic nearby. Our own children click endlessly on video games and notifications while ostensibly watching TV, and, if we are honest with ourselves, so do the parents of young children. Film studies professors lament that their current students no longer have the attention span to watch movies because they are so conditioned to click quickly through short-form videos.
Yes, it is terrifying to think about all the things that can go wrong in a world where no one can concentrate, and especially where no one can interpret the actions and facial expressions of the people around them enough to respond to them. The greatest immediate danger comes from distractions when we are driving a flammable machine that weighs several tons. Lawmakers have attempted to legislate distracted driving out of existence, but they have only been able to target the most obvious distractions. Louisiana has laws against interacting directly with your phone while you are driving, but that is only the tip of the iceberg of distracted driving. If you have been injured in an accident caused by a distracted driver, contact a Houma car accident lawyer.
The Distraction-Proof Screen in Your Car is Just as Distracting as a Phone
It is not only legislators who have recognized the dangers of holding a phone to your ear or typing on a phone screen while you are behind the wheel. Yes, there are laws against touching your phone while driving, but phone manufacturers and car manufacturers have also risen to the challenge. Car models from the last few years tend to have integrated audiovisual systems that allow you to use the parts of your phone that are conducive to driving while you drive. To choose or follow a route or play music, you use a screen that does not look so different from the car radios of a generation ago, in terms of how much it requires you to look at it.
The trouble is that the driver-safe screen can also display your calls and text messages. A phone call from your boss, spouse, or parents can stress you out as much if the phone number displays on your car screen, and if the person’s voice plays through the speakers, as if you were holding the phone in your hand.
Old-Fashioned Distractions Can Still Take Your Eyes Off the Road
Some driving distractions have nothing to do with technology. It is just as dangerous to eat, fix your hair in the mirror, or reach down to retrieve lost items while driving as it was in the days before cell phones.
Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey About Personal Injury Cases
A personal injury lawyer can help you if you were injured in a preventable accident involving a distracted driver. Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey in Houma, Louisiana, to set up a consultation about your case.
Sources
https://www.allstate.com/resources/car-insurance/causes-of-distracted-driving
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