Don’t believe what you hear about cellphones and car accidents

Hardly anything is as simple as right or wrong. Much of the information that Georgia residents receive from the media and the internet requires a bit of skepticism. For instance, not everything people say about the correlation between cellphones and car accidents is correct.

For instance, many Georgia drivers may be lulled into a sense of security in using their cellphones while driving as long as they are using a hands-free device. Unfortunately, research by the National Safety Council indicates that the amount of concentration it takes to carry on a conversation while driving increases the danger of becoming involved in an accident. Few people can actually successfully multitask, and attempting to do so while driving could prove dangerous.

Some drivers believe that it is okay to read a text while they drive as long as they do not respond to it. In reality, it takes as much of a driver’s attention away from the road to read a text as it does to send one. Then there are GPS systems, which also require individuals to take their eyes, minds and sometimes their hands off the task of driving. It is never okay to engage in these activities while driving. Realistically, people could do these things without being involved in a crash, but that luck could easily run out.

Georgia residents who end up injured in car accidents in which the other driver was using a cellphone at the time could pursue restitution from that driver through the filing of a personal injury claim. Obtaining evidence that the other driver’s cellphone use played a primary role in the crash could result in an award of damages from the court. Any monies received through a successfully litigated claim could help with the financial losses incurred as a result of the crash.