It would be hard to find anyone who has never heard about the dangers of texting while driving. Along with drunk and drugged driving, distractions behind the wheel lead to many otherwise avoidable car and truck accidents. Trying to compose and send a text is a major distraction if you’re behind the wheel.
Despite widespread awareness of the dangers of distracted driving, many people continue to risk lives by texting behind the wheel. While people have a general knowledge of distracted driving dangers, a recent study indicates that this knowledge is largely incomplete.
Following are some points revealed by a recent study that play a role why texting and driving are still behind many car and truck accidents.
- Twenty percent of drivers between 18 and 24 years (millennials) have no knowledge of their state’s laws on texting while driving.
- Nearly 16% of millennials admit to texting behind the wheel.
- More than 20% of millennials believe they can multitask “extremely well.”
- Nearly 30% of millennials say they can multitask “moderately well.”
- Unfortunately, fewer than 7% of millennials say they cannot multitask well.
- By contrast, only about 34% of drivers 55 years and older believe they can multitask well.
What do these numbers mean? Belief in one’s ability to multitask, especially while driving, can lead to overconfidence behind the wheel. In turn, overconfidence can lead to risky driving behaviors such as texting while in control of an automobile. The logical outcome is an increase in a driver’s chances of causing car and truck accidents.
Under California law, it is illegal for any driver to text or talk on a handheld device. With the help of an experienced attorney, victims can use this law to help them prove negligence in a vehicle accident claim. Compensation will not solve all problems in the wake of an accident injury, but it can help victims pay for their medical expenses and other costs.
