Can An Injury Lawyer Help In Situations That Encourage Distractive Driving?

Until drivers enjoyed ready access to cell phones, society did not pay too much attention to those instances where a driver had become distracted. Indeed, the introduction of cell phones has led to a sharp rise in the number of distracted drivers. Still, the limits on the brain’s mental pathways become a factor whenever anything distracts a driver.

Drivers might think that they can multitask. In reality, they allow their brain to forget about one thing briefly, in order to focus on something else. Hence, a driver might not realize that he has driven past a STOP sign while talking on cell phone.

The different actions that might be taken by a distracted driver

• Adjusting the car’s radio or some music device
• Eating or drinking while sitting at the steering wheel of a moving vehicle
• Talking to the passengers; that would include giving directions to a passenger, someone that has been asked to place a call on the driver’s cell phone
• Reaching into the back seat; turning to check on some situation in the back seat
• Talking on the cell phone; even if the driver’s hands are free to touch the steering wheel, his or her brain does not get fully focused on the road.
• Making adjustments to a GPS
• Putting on makeup
• Lighting a cigarette

While each of those actions can make an accident more likely to happen, the gathered statistics reveal the accident frequency when drivers insist on placing or taking phone calls while on the road. Those statistics indicate that texting increases the chances of an accident 23 times over what it would have been without the time spent texting. If someone is on the phone, that increases the chances 4 times.

Penalties in Canada for using cell phone

The penalties vary from province to province. In one province the fine is as low as $100. Other provinces have much stiffer fines; some even go as high as $1200.

Some provinces give the driver demerit points, along with a fine. A driver might use that fact to remind a friend or relative of the consequences suffered by someone that feels willing to accept a call while on the road. Some people like the idea of feeling that they can make a request at any time of day, regardless of what a friend or relative might be doing.

Typically, such a request forces the driver to alter his or her planned route, in order to carry out some errand. Such callers must be made aware of the purpose of demerit points. Those are used to keep careless drivers off the road. Hence, someone with too many demerit points could be threatened with suspension of his or her license. It is important to talk with your personal injury lawyer in Oakville, if you have been injured due to the other driver’s distracted maneuvering on the road.