Even on a dare, would you close your eyes for five seconds while driving down the road? Well, maybe this will help you make your decision. If you were traveling approximately 55 miles per hour and closed your eyes, you’d have traveled the entire length of an entire football field – what could possibly go wrong?
The fact is, five seconds is the average time it takes to read or send a text message to someone using a smart phone. As part of April’s being National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, law enforcement, Impact Teen Drivers, and community partners are all collaborating to bring about awareness of the dangers of distracted driving.
“Distracted driving is absolutely avoidable, but it continues to be a serious problem among drivers. Too many lives are lost every year due to distracted driving,” California Highway Patrol Commissioner Joe Farrow said. “We believe that through continued education and enforcement, the number of deaths and injuries can be reduced.”
Understanding the Dangers of Distracted Driving
The goal of the nationwide “Distracted Driving” campaign is to change motorists’ behaviors and hopefully save lives. The following are some of the statistics , programs, and actions being taken to bring about awareness of distracted driving:
- Assembly Bill 1785 went into effect on January 1, 2017, requiring all California drivers to keep a cell phone out of their hands, while driving a motor vehicle.
- Under the law, the only time touching or swiping a smart phone in your vehicle is acceptable, is when it is mounted or not being held in the driver’s hand.
- Under the law, California drivers under the age of 18 are not allowed to use a cell phone or a hands-free device while driving.
- In 2015, there were approximately 85 fatalities involving distracted driving in California; down slightly from the 87 distracted driving related fatalities in 2014; and 84 fatalities in 2013.
- Nationally, 3,477 people died from distracted driving related accidents.
Why Is Social Media So Addictive?
If it seems like it’s getting harder and harder to put your cell phone down and stay away from the social media, there’s good reason for your feeling of consternation. All the social media companies are purposely working to make their applications so addictive that they are irresistible. In fact, there’s a label for the inability to quit your most addictive social media network – it’s called “social media reversion.”2
According to a study called “99 Days of Freedom” conducted by Cornell Information Science, participants in the study found they intended to quit Facebook because of addiction, but found they could only quit for just a few days. Most people are involved in a social media application these days, and they are sharing news, content, and personal perspectives with other networking friends. The addiction itself works on a human personal aspect termed “fear of missing out.”
The best way to kick your social media addiction is to schedule a time once per day to visit your social media network, according to the Cornell study experts. If you can manage to visit it just once per day, then you are likely to beat your addiction.
Contact the Law Offices of Pius Joseph – Personal Injury Attorney
Everyone seems to be taking part in the social media crazy with some kind of application or another, and it’s pretty apparent how addictive the social media apps can be. But, as the statistics above point out, using our smart phones while driving leads to distracted driving, and in some cases death.
If you or a family member have been injured in an accident that was caused by a negligent driver who was distracted driving, contact a Pasadena Auto Accident Attorney at the Law Offices of Pius Joseph – Personal Injury Attorney for aggressive and vigorous representation to help you receive justice and financial compensation for damages. Established in 1990, the Pius Joseph legal team has worked tirelessly to help their clients regain some semblance of normalcy by advocating their cause through what is often a complicated legal process to navigate.
We’d like to set up a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your case and share how we can assist you. You can contact us by calling (626) 397-1050 or by emailing us using the contact form on this page.
We have an office located in Pasadena, but we bring legal representation to those in need of legal assistant throughout the state of California.
- “Working Together to Stop Distracted Driving” published in CHP press release, April 2017.
- “Social Media Addiction is a Bigger Problem Than You Think” published in Computer World, December 2015.
