How Can You Tell If Another Driver Was Texting During an Accident?
Even though there have been countless warnings and laws implemented against texting and driving, many people still choose to get behind the wheel, pick up their phones, and send and read text messages while driving down the road. Unfortunately, this is one of the most common ways to cause an accident.
Therefore, if you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident, you may be curious to know how you can tell if the other driver was texting. The good news is that a Cherry Hill car accident lawyer can help you identify and pinpoint certain behaviors and actions that may indicate that the other driver was texting right before or during the accident. We will go over eight of these behaviors and actions below.
1. Appearing to look down at their lap
One of the first and most common behaviors that you may notice from a driver who was texting during an accident is looking down toward their lap area. Another common behavior that you may notice the driver doing is sitting in a hunched or bent over position. This is likely because their cellular device is on their lap or on the seat as they are trying to hide what they are doing from law enforcement officers. You can usually tell if a driver is paying attention because they will be looking ahead at the road. Therefore, if you remember the driver being curled over during your accident, you should bring this to the attention of your Cherry Hill car accident attorney as soon as possible.
2. Slow driving
Drivers who are distracted by their cell phones tend to drive slower than the speed limit. The reason for this is because they are usually not paying attention to the task at hand, which is driving, causing them to accidentally drive slower than the posted speed limits. However, some texting drivers will purposefully drive slower to finish writing and sending their text messages because they think that it is safer to drive slower than the rest of the traffic while doing this.
3. Swerving between the lanes
When a driver is texting while behind the wheel, you will notice them making frequent steering mistakes. For example, they will likely begin swerving. They may swerve between the lines on their own lane, or they may drift into another lane. Either way, this is very dangerous and can cause a sideswipe accident or even a head-on collision, which almost always leads to catastrophic injuries or fatalities.
4. Hitting their brakes frequently
It is also very common to see texting drivers hitting their brakes. This may be a small recurring press on the brakes, or they may slam on their brakes from time to time. The reason that they frequently do this is because their focus and attention is on their phone instead of on the traffic and roadways. They most likely hit their brakes when they look up and quickly notice that traffic is stopping or slowing down.
5. Following you or other vehicles too closely
Since texting drivers are typically hunched over and looking down at their cellular devices, they are usually unaware of how the traffic is flowing. This means that they may not realize that the vehicle in front of them has slowed down or come to an abrupt stop. As a result, they may end up following the vehicle too closely, which can cause a rear-end accident to occur.
6. Running a traffic light or a stop or yield sign
If you were struck by a driver who ran a traffic light or sign, there is a high possibility that they were texting and driving. This is because the driver most likely was not paying attention and failed to notice the stop sign or red light in time, resulting in your collision. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, if you spend five seconds texting while driving on a roadway that has a speed limit of 55 mph, “that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.” Therefore, if a driver is in the middle of sending a text message when they are approaching an oncoming traffic light or sign, they are basically driving as if they are blindfolded.
7. Light coming from inside the car
While this is not a behavior or action, it is important for you to know. If you were driving in the dark when your crash happened, you may remember a light coming from inside the other driver’s vehicle. Although this could be their radio or GPS device, there is a good chance that the light is actually coming from their cell phone. If you let your lawyer know that you saw a light beaming from inside the vehicle before or during your motor vehicle accident, they will take the time to investigate and determine what the light could have been coming from, which could benefit your case tremendously.
If you have been involved in a car accident and believe the other driver was texting and driving, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Cherry Hill car accident lawyers at Ferrara & Gable at your earliest convenience. We will listen to your experience, review the facts and circumstances surrounding the accident, help you collect valuable evidence, and build a strong case showing that the driver who hit you was texting and driving. Our team takes these cases very seriously and will do everything we can to help you recover the compensation you need and deserve to get your life back on track again. Call our office or fill out our contact form to schedule your free case evaluation today. We serve all of South Jersey.