Many Oregon residents rely on their smart phones every day. They must use them to text and email their friends and co-workers, find directions through their map apps and even order meals when they are out of their homes. Smart phones are truly useful for many people, but there is one place that they should never be used: in the hands of someone who is driving.
Jurisdictions throughout the nation have banned texting and driving, and these prohibitions often have broad coverage to also limit individuals’ use of other smart phone applications. They have been enacted to prevent individuals from driving while distracted and from causing dangerous collisions with other vehicles. Distracted driving is a problem for many who must share the road with negligent parties who use their phones in their cars.
However, car crashes are not the only possible outcomes that may result when drivers operate with handheld distractions. Auto-pedestrian accidents also occur when drivers fail to notice walkers, runners and other individuals on foot who must cross and travel in roadways. A driver who is engrossed in a message on the screen of their smart phone may fail to see a person who is legally in a crosswalk and attempting to get to another location; that collision may have dire consequences for the pedestrian victim and may cause them to suffer life-threatening and lifelong harm.
A driver who is not looking at the road can cause a serious accident with another vehicle. They can also cause a life-threatening collision with a pedestrian. Victims of these horrific accidents are encouraged to examine their rights and seek compensation for the losses they have sustained at the hands of distracted drivers.
