The population of the United States is growing. The cities are becoming increasingly overcrowded, and the surrounding suburbs are growing faster than their infrastructure can handle.
The Millennial generation, the largest generational cohort since the Baby Boomers, is leaving the nest and spreading their wings to fly towards the urban areas of the country. This means that there are more cars on the nation’s highways.
It also means that the number of distracted drivers on the roads has increased exponentially. The fact that the Millennial generation is always tuned into social media, and the older generations cannot separate themselves from work, means that a high percentage of drivers are on their smartphone while they drive.
The problem has grown out of control
More and more accidents are occurring because drivers are paying attention to what a celebrity had for lunch, or keeping up with the stock market, rather than focusing on where they were going, and what was happening around them. Families are being affected by this epidemic! If they are lucky to have a loved one survive, oftentimes, that family member will leave the hospital with a disability or impairment.
It is completely unfair to suffer an injury because someone couldn’t wait until they got home to answer a text or comment on a meme they saw on Facebook. Nor would it be fair to let the distracted driver go without punishment. Because of this, you may need to find an attorney to represent you, to make sure you are covered throughout the recovery process. While you heal in the hospital, you can seek justice at the same time.
Distracted drivers do not fully understand the effects that a car accident can have on a family. They do not consider that there are lives involved when they get on their cell phones while on the road. They do not comprehend that there are other drivers around them, many with passengers in those vehicles – many of those passengers are children. Distracted drivers seeking entertainment, or drivers who are unwilling to leave their work at the office, do not realize that their own lives are at risk, as are the those of their passengers, and their children.
To have a better understanding of how distracted driving affects distracted drivers, their fellow drivers, and the families involved, below we will discuss some of the effects this selfish act can cause.
Property Damage
This is the least impactful of the effects caused by distracted driving – only because no one is injured or dies in the best of scenarios. If a distracted driver is lucky, they will run into a tree or a concrete barrier and only cause their own vehicle damage. However, their insurance may decide the vehicle is irreparable and total out the vehicle, forcing the driver to get a new vehicle.
The same can occur if the distracted driver hits another vehicle. If the insurance company decides to total out the victim’s vehicle, the victim may not receive enough compensation to cover the cost of a new vehicle. This could come back on the distracted driver, who will end up being responsible for the difference.
Bodily Injury
There are a variety of injuries that could occur during a car accident. Whiplash and other injuries to the neck are common. They could leave a victim paralysed and unable to care for themself, forcing the family, or the distracted driver, to take care of that person. That person could even be the distracted driver – a steep price to pay for caring too much about what the Kardashians are up to.
An injury could be so bad that a limb may need to be amputated. This will cause hardship on the injured person, as well as diminish their ability to support their family. Not only would this cause financial hardship for that family, but the injured person – who could very well be the distracted driver – would experience stress, frustration, and depression from no longer being able to support the ones they care about.
Death
This is the absolute worst case scenario. Distracted drivers have been decapitated while running into the back of a tractor trailer. They cause accidents that leave other drivers crushed inside their cars, or at the bottom of an embankment, dead from the impact. Loved ones are torn away from their families, leaving them with loss and pain, and many times without the primary income-earner.
Not only is a life lost, but the family will struggle to survive after that person’s death. It could be the distracted driver who loses their life. It could be the distracted driver who loses a loved one.
These are all preventable scenarios, as long as everyone focuses on driving instead of a bunch of cats jumping around on Youtube.
