• 21
  • February
    2012

Personal injury-related cases may increase as a result of poor auto safety. One of the best ways to prevent a car accident is by practicing good driving behaviors.

When a driver is driving, he or she has a responsibility to themselves and to other drivers on the road. This responsibility is of driving in the safest possible manner to the destination. Since being licensed to drive is a privilege and not a right, drivers must keep the community's trust in their driving ability. To ensure the safest roads possible, Government must also do their part by enacting appropriate laws and regulations that control behavior on the roads. Thus while drivers should know to drive at reasonable speeds, Government has implemented speeding laws to make sure that drivers drive at reasonable speeds.

This same idea of what a driver should know and what Government should do is coming into play on the issue of "distracted driving". Distracted driving involves any behavior that takes away from or "distracts" a driver from the primary focus of safe operation of a motor vehicle. Such distracting behavior may include speaking on a cell phone while driving, eating while driving, or playing around with a vehicle's electronic systems while driving. Already, many states, including California, have enacted distracted driving laws that penalize such behavior. While most drivers understand the danger of multitasking while driving, it is increasingly clear that Government is becoming more involved in controlling how drivers should act while on the road and enforcing these controls when broken.

Until now, most distracted driving laws and regulations have been implemented at state-level. However, this may soon change as Federal officials are now pushing for a voluntary limit on certain vehicle systems found to be distracting to drivers. This voluntary limit will encourage auto industry participation in reducing the number of available systems, such as built-in Bluetooth, GPS, and others, available to the driver while the vehicle is in motion. While not binding, these "guidelines" hope to serve as further deterrence against distracted driving, especially by younger drivers.

The Law Offices of Scott Warmuth encourages safe driving and wants to make sure that the danger of distracted driving is known to as many drivers as possible. When driving, please focus on the road ahead and not on anything else. According to the most recent study, deaths directly due to distracted driving reached 3,092 in 2010 alone. The State of California has laws in place that restrict the usage of phones while driving. However, even in jurisdictions that do not have distracted driving laws, drivers should always be aware of the road conditions and should take all steps necessary to ensure the safest operation of their motor vehicle. Part of avoiding a personal injury case is by practicing sound judgment while driving.

If you are involved in an accident caused by a driver in violation of distracted driving laws, or if you feel that an accident you were directly involved in was caused by distracted driving, please call the Law Offices of Scott Warmuth for a free consultation. Our legal staff will help you explore your legal options and we are ready to assist you in the most appropriate way. We can be reached at (626) 380.9992 or via our website at Law Offices of Scott Warmuth. Serving our community for more than a quarter century.