Monterey Distracted Driving Accident Lawyers

Common Causes Of Distracted Driving

Although many people associate texting with distracted driving, they may overlook several other distractions. The reality is that any distraction that takes your focus away from the road in front of you is dangerous, no matter what it is. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), distractions greatly reduce a driver’s reaction time and increase lane deviations.

This includes any distraction that visually or cognitively takes your attention away from the road, including:

• Adjusting the radio,
• Talking on the phone,
• Texting while driving,
• Talking to a passenger,
• Eating or drinking,
• Putting on makeup,
• Reading something
• Reaching for an object, or
• Looking at something else outside of the vehicle.

As you can see, it only takes a split second of distraction to cause an accident. In fact, a famous and widely cited 2011 study by the Texas Transport Institute found that the reaction time of distracted drivers was double that of focused drivers. At high speeds, this may mean the difference between a serious collision or no accident at all.

How To Prove Distracted Driving

Proving negligent or distracted driving requires different pieces of evidence, particularly when it comes to the crash itself and your damages. Ultimately, you need proof that the other driver was distracted and that their actions caused your accident. In California, proving distracted driving comes down to these four elements:

• Duty of care—the other driver had a duty to keep you and others on the road safe;
• Breach of duty—that driver ignored their duty by failing to act in a reasonable or responsible way;
• Causation—the actions of the other driver directly led to and caused your injuries; and
• Damages—you sustained measurable losses in the accident due to the other driver’s negligence.

While navigating these different elements of your claim isn’t easy, our Monterey distracted driving accident lawyers can help. They’ll search for and collect evidence related to your accident that may help show your side of the story. That includes photographs, videos, witness statements, medical records, and more.

What Is The Average Settlement For A Distracted Driving Claim?

During your research on accident claims, you may find multiple sources claiming to know the average settlement for similar claims. Unfortunately, these averages are misleading for a couple of reasons. First, none of these averages include confidential settlement information, which makes up a significant portion of all car accident settlements. This means that the average isn’t truly representative of all types of cases. Second, they don’t take into account the unique circumstances of your case.

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