(150+)Driving a car is a responsibility, one that requires full attention. Every driver has a duty of care to avoid harming others on South Carolina’s roads.
If you or a loved one sustained injuries from a distracted driver, our Greenville distracted driving accident lawyer can help. Angela Frazier fights the insurance companies who try to limit your right to maximum compensation. Request to speak with our distracted driving accident lawyer in Greenville today.
What Is Distracted Driving?
An activity that takes a driver’s attention and focus away from driving can be considered a distraction. While some distractions fall into one of the major distraction categories, others encompass all categories:
- Auditory: Drivers must be able to hear sirens, horns and other traffic-related sounds.
- Cognitive: A motorist’s thoughts should be focused on driving. Cognitive distractions with an emotional component — such as arguing — are especially dangerous.
- Manual: Drivers should keep both hands on the steering wheel to maintain optimal control of their vehicles.
- Visual: Drivers must focus on the road and traffic conditions to drive safely. Any form of distraction can lead to a collision. When a particular distraction falls into multiple categories, the likelihood of causing a crash increases.
Distracted driving is a form of negligence, which is the basis for most personal injury claims.
Your attorney can investigate your car accident and gather evidence to prove the at-fault driver’s negligence.
What Are Examples of Distracted Driving?
Most people realize that using a smartphone while driving is a distraction; many states have laws prohibiting hands-on use. Other common forms of distraction include:
- Grooming oneself, such as fixing hair or applying makeup
- Interacting with pets, children or other passengers
- Rubbernecking and daydreaming
- Searching for objects in the vehicle
- Eating, drinking and smoking
Texting is one of the most dangerous distractions, particularly among young drivers. It typically takes five seconds to read a text. That might not sound like a lot, but a car traveling at 55 mph can go 100 yards in five seconds. Reading a text can be considered the equivalent of closing your eyes before driving across an entire football field.
South Carolina does not ban hands-on device usage, but texting while driving is illegal. Attorney Angela Frazier can obtain cell phone records to prove whether the at-fault driver was texting when your accident occurred.
Why Is Distracted Driving So Dangerous?
Distracted driving can impact safety in multiple ways. During periods of distraction, drivers might:
- Drift between lanes of traffic
- Brake suddenly
- Speed up and slow down unexpectedly
- Fail to stop at signs or red lights
- Run off the road
Other motorists may be unable to avoid colliding with a distracted driver because of their erratic behaviors. Most of these accidents wouldn’t occur if the at-fault motorist paid full attention when driving.
Delayed reaction times
Distractions delay driver reaction times, often not leaving enough time for evasive maneuvers. Driving reaction times have stages:
- Perception: Realizing that a danger is present
- Analysis: Deciding which action to take (braking or steering changes)
- Action: Initiating the action
Pressing the brake pedal doesn’t stop a vehicle immediately; it only begins the process. The higher your vehicle’s speed, the longer it can take to come to a complete stop.
When a distracted driver realizes in a split-second that they need to avoid a collision, improper evasive actions also impact other vehicles, causing chain reaction crashes.
How Can a Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer Help?
Many injuries sustained in distracted driving accidents are serious, requiring medical treatments and time away from work during recovery. Losing your source of income while medical bills mount can cause tremendous financial strain. Angela Frazier can handle the legal aspects of your accident claim so you can focus on recovery.
As your distracted driving accident lawyer, our team will:
- Provide honest, effective legal advice
- Handle administrative tasks with filing and requesting documents
- Investigate your accident and how each driver behaved
- Speak to insurance companies on your behalf
- Prepare for court when favorable settlement negotiations break down
Depending on the circumstances of your accident, you may receive compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, property damage and the emotional and mental trauma you experienced.
Having skilled legal representation in your corner can result in significantly higher settlement amounts than trying to handle a claim alone.
Why Choose Angela Frazier as Your Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer?
You need someone who will fight aggressively to defend your right to reasonable compensation for your damages. Angela Frazier and the team at Elliott Frazier Family, Personal Injury & Car Accident Attorneys, LLC will work tirelessly on your behalf, informing you about case updates so you can look to the future without unnecessary stress.
Contact our distracted driving accident attorney Angela Frazier in Greenville today to request your case evaluation and learn how we can help. Call us at 864-635-6323 or use our online form.
