Preventing Distracted Driving

At Gerson & Schwartz, P.A., our Miami car accident lawyers are committed to keeping our roads safe, both by holding negligent drivers responsible for their actions and by helping prevent accidents in the first place. Our Miami personal injury law firm takes distracted driving accidents seriously. Here are some of the ways you can make help make our roads safer.

The best way to prevent distracted driving accidents is for drivers to take personal and individual responsibility for reducing distractions and improving their own driving habits.

• Never use your smart phone or mobile device while driving. While many drivers like to use red lights as an opportunity to “sneak in” a call or text, this is actually a particularly dangerous spot to do so. Changes in the traffic around you (such as the stop and go traffic around intersections) require your full attention.
• Check your route before you get on the road. While GPS devices and navigation apps are helpful, it is easy to become so distracted by them that you fail to pay attention to the traffic around you. Make sure you have an overview of your route before setting out, so that your navigation system requires as little attention as possible while you are driving.
• Distracted walking can cause accidents, too! Any time a pedestrian makes unpredictable or unexpected movements, he or she makes it more difficult for nearby drivers to avoid colliding with them.
  • Stay aware of your surroundings.
  • Make eye contact with drivers to ensure they see you.
  • Never assume the driver will yield the right of way (even when he or she is legally obligated to do so).
  • Use particular caution in parking lots. Here, drivers have diverted their attention to the task of parking or backing up, and this makes it more difficult for them to see pedestrians.
• Bikers and pedestrians should leave one ear bud or headphone off when listening to music. Hearing oncoming traffic will increase your ability to identify and respond to it, and ultimately avoid an accident.
• Technology isn’t the only distraction that drivers face – food and drink also requires hand-eye coordination, and they divert a driver’s attention from the road.
• Teens are at particular risk for distracted driving, which is more dangerous for a young, inexperienced driver who is unprepared to quickly respond to obstacles in the road. Set clear rules with your teen driver about expectations for friends and technology in the vehicle. Noise and activity in the vehicle should never distract a teen from watching the road.
• Check the safety features or app store on your smart phone. Many mobile devices have safety features which limit functionality while driving, or while the navigation app is engaged. Putting your phone on silent, setting an automatic reply, or accessing the “driving mode” on your phone can help you resist the temptation to be distracted by it while you are driving.

If you’ve been involved in a car accident, contact a Miami car accident lawyer at Gerson & Schwartz, P.A. We have over forty six years of experience protecting the rights of car accident victims in and around Miami. Call our office today at (877) 475-2905 to schedule your free consultation with an attorney, or email us through our online contact form. We will fight for your right to be compensated for your injuries.