It can be easy for drivers, especially young drivers, to become distracted behind the wheel. Between sending texts or playing loud music, they have many distractions that may leave them less able to focus on the road.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 2,800 people were killed, and about 400,000 people were injured in crashes involving distracted drivers in the United States during 2018, showing how prevalent this problem is.
If you suffered injuries because of the actions of a distracted driver, you have the right to seek compensation. A Marietta distracted driving accident lawyer from Bader Law Injury Lawyers is ready to stand by your side throughout the legal proceedings. Contact us at (404) 888-8888 as soon as possible for a free case review with a team member.
Dangers of Driving While Distracted
If someone is driving with his or her focus on the road, adjusting the position or speed of the car to deal with a hazard is far easier.
Watching the road ahead is an important component of driving safely. For instance, if a child suddenly runs into the road chasing a pet or toy, a distracted driver may not see the child in time to stop the car and avoid an accident.
Some of the ways that a driver may experience distractions inside the car that draw his or her attention away from the road include:
- Texting on a smartphone
- Making a phone call
- Watching video on an in-car entertainment system
- Adjusting a radio
- Adjusting climate control components
- Adjusting mirrors while driving
- Eating food
- Paying attention to children or other passengers in the backseat
- Performing personal grooming
- Looking at other drivers or pedestrians
- Playing music too loud
- Paying attention to unsecured pets in the car
Types of Accidents Distracted Drivers Often Cause
When a distracted driver is not watching the road, he or she may miss upcoming traffic signs, changing traffic lights, or sudden hazards in the road. This can lead to multiple types of crashes, including:
- Rear-end crashes: The distracted driver may not notice a traffic light changing to red, meaning he or she may hit cars stopped at the light in front of them.
- Pedestrian crashes: The driver who is distracted may miss seeing a pedestrian in the crosswalk or a bicyclist on the road, causing a serious accident.
- High speed crashes: The distracted driver may not react to hazards in the road in time, meaning he or she will not apply the brakes on the car to slow down. This can lead to serious crashes because of the speeds involved.
- Side-impact accidents: A driver who is not watching the road may drift out of his or her lane, hitting another car’s side or forcing another car off the road.
A Marietta distracted driving accident lawyer may be able to help the victims of these accident situations. We will study the facts in the case to show exactly how the distracted driver made an error behind the wheel. Contact Bader Law Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation. Call a team member at (404) 888-8888.
For a free legal consultation with a distracted driving accidents lawyer serving Marietta, call (404) 888-8888
Types of Distracted Driving
Drivers could be distracted in any of three different ways, including manually, visually, or cognitively. When you bring a personal injury claim against a driver that you suspect was distracted, you can use the facts of the case to show if one or more of these situations was involved. For example, texting while driving could involve all three types of distractions.
Manual Distractions
When a driver does not have his or her hands on the wheel because they are performing other tasks in the car not related to driving, this is a manual distraction.
A driver who takes his or her foot away from the brake pedal for any reason would also be distracted manually.
Visual Distractions
When the driver looks away from the area where the vehicle is traveling, this is a visual type of distracted driving. This could happen because the driver is looking at a smartphone, at an information screen in the car, or at a book. It also could be because the driver is looking at items outside the car rather than focusing on the road ahead.
Cognitive Distractions
When a driver is daydreaming behind the wheel or focusing his or her mental attention on something other than driving, this is a cognitive distraction.
A driver not focusing on the road may miss traffic signs or may not notice a turn coming up in the road until it is too late to avoid causing an accident.
Marietta Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer Near Me (404) 888-8888
Proving Negligence
Ultimately, to build a compelling personal injury claim, you will have to show that the other driver was behaving negligently. This simply means that the distracted driver owed a reasonable level of care to the other drivers on the road yet failed to show that care.
You and your attorney can use a series of methods for showing that distracted driving occurred, including:
- Interviewing witnesses
- Studying the police report
- Requesting smartphone account records
- Viewing any video of the scene
Even if the police do not issue a traffic ticket to the other driver for violating Georgia’s hands-free law as defined by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety in Georgia, we can still use these methods to try to prove that negligence occurred through distracted driving.
In the state of Georgia, you have up to two years to file a personal injury lawsuit, according to the Official Code of Georgia (OCGA) §9-3-33. For this reason, we recommend getting started as soon as possible on your case to keep your legal options open.
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We Will Fight Tirelessly on Your Behalf
As soon as you choose to hire us to defend your rights in a distracted driving crash, we will begin our work. We will help you pursue the fairest possible settlement for your medical bills, pain, emotional trauma, and suffering.
We do not accept money upfront for our services. Instead, we work on a contingency-fee-basis, which means we do not receive payment until a case reaches a satisfactory settlement. If we do not settle your case, we do not receive any payment.
Look to a Marietta distracted driving accident lawyer to study the facts of your case, working to show that you deserve the compensation you are seeking. Call a team member from Bader Law Injury Lawyers for a free case review at (404) 888-8888 today.
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