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What You Should Know If A Distracted Driver Caused Your Recent Accident

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Distractions while driving are known for causing accidents to occur, and distractions can occur in many different ways. If this is what caused your recent accident, you have rights you should know about, and there are a few important things to understand if a distracted driver is responsible for causing the accident you were involved in.

The Ways People Are Distracted While Driving

Anything that causes a distraction to a driver can lead to a car accident occurring, and there are many different ways people are distracted. In some cases, people get distracted simply from messing with radio settings. In other cases, people are distracted because they are eating or drinking something while driving. There are also times when cell phone use is the cause of a distraction, and this can be from talking on the phone, texting, viewing an app, or reading a map. Cell phone distractions tend to be the most common type of distraction to drivers, but there are other types of distractions too.

Additionally, accidents can also occur when people are distracted by reaching in the backseat for something, handing something to their child in the backseat, looking in the glovebox, or staring at something on the side of the road.

The Effects of Distractions While Driving

When a person is distracted by anything, it will cause them to take their eyes off the road and taking your eyes off the road for even a few seconds can be enough to cause a collision to occur. Additionally, certain types of distractions tend to cause drivers to turn the steering wheel to one side or another. For example, if you reach in the back seat, you are likely to turn your wheel to the right as you are reaching. If you also take your eyes off the road while doing this, you could collide with a car that is on your right, or you could drive off the road.

Distractions also tend to be cognitive in nature, and this means that if you are doing something while driving, your attention is not really on driving. The nature of thinking of something else and doing something else while you drive can lead you to forget you are driving for a few seconds, and this is often enough to cause a distraction.

What You Can Do If You Were in an Accident Like This

If another driver caused an accident to occur that you were involved with, and if you suspect that the driver was distracted, your first goal should be to prove this. Proving it is not always easy; however, there are numerous steps you can take to help prove that this occurred.

For example, the police report might state that the person was texting while driving. Witnesses of the accident might also report that they saw the driver texting or talking on the phone. If you do not have this type of evidence, you could get the person's cell phone records. If you can do this, and if the cell phone records show that the person was using the phone during the accident, you will have the proof you need to file a claim against the person for your damages.

Obtaining nearby video camera footage is also a strategy lawyers have used over the years to gather evidence against a person to prove fault in an accident, primarily because there are so many cameras today compared to years ago.

If you are not sure how to handle your car accident case, the best option you have is talking to a lawyer who offers services to people who need help settling their car accident cases. For more information, get in touch with a firm such as Abkarian & Associates APLC.


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