805-962-1930 
As in-vehicle cellphone use became more and more common in recent years, numerous states including California enacted new laws limiting how drivers are able to use phones while behind the wheel. A new report on the prevalence of distracted driving, however, is suggesting that far more needs to happen in order to prevent distracted driving-related injuries and deaths. At Maho Prentice, LLP, we have firsthand knowledge of the devastation that distracted drivers frequently cause and have helped many people hurt in crashes involving cellphone use and other distracted driving behaviors seek recourse.
Per Forbes, a new study regarding distracted driving uncovered two key findings. First, it indicated that new legislation is not doing as much to prevent distracted driving as you might like to think. Second, it showed that there is a clear disconnect between motorists’ opinions about whether distracted driving is dangerous and their actual behaviors.
Just how common has distracted driving become in recent years across America? These days, distracted driving is much more common than drunk driving, and it is also becoming more dangerous. The latest report in distracted driving reveals that, depending on the time of day, anywhere from 60% and 80% of the people behind the wheel are using their phones while driving, regardless of laws in place that ban the behavior.
Additionally, the number of drivers who spend at least 28% of their time at their vehicle’s controls using their phones and ignoring the road doubled last year. Currently, about one out of every 12 drivers are addicted to their phones. The new report on distracted driving also showed that, while the vast majority of American motorists agree that distracted driving is monumentally dangerous, many of them fail to recognize how they, personally, contribute to the problem. Find more about car wrecks on our webpage.