A survey from Root Insurance and conducted by Wakefield Research has discovered something that many drivers in California are already aware of: distracted driving is a nationwide issue, yet drivers engage in it even when they know it is wrong. In all, 47 percent of respondents called it their top concern when driving, and 99 percent recognized phones as being one of the top three distractions.
Yet drivers admitted to using their phones an average of 13 minutes a day behind the wheel. Thirty-eight percent said they do not bother to put down their phones when police are around. At the same time, the respondents were quick to criticize others for distracted driving. Eighty-nine percent said they would give a bad rating to an Uber/Lyft driver for texting and driving, and 90 percent said they feel they are safer drivers than Uber/Lyft drivers.
The most common phone distractions were group chats (52 percent), social media like memes and newsfeeds (33 percent) and video streaming (18 percent). Common distractions unrelated to phones included grooming while driving (18 percent), playing with a pet (13) and changing clothes (12). Root Insurance also released its 2019 Focused Driving Report, which found that Generation Z drivers (18- to 24-year-olds) use their phones around 20 times per 100 miles traveled.
Anything that takes a driver’s attention from the road is a distraction. Those who are injured at the hands of a distracted driver may have good grounds for a car accident case, but they may want a lawyer to assist with the filing, the negotiating for a settlement and, if a settlement cannot be achieved, litigation. This state follows the rule of comparative negligence, so plaintiffs can recover damages even if they are partially to blame, though the amount they receive will naturally be lowered.