Distracted driving is a hot topic nationally, and Colorado is no exception.
In 2016, Colorado saw an 11 percent spike in roadway fatalities throughout the state. The executive director of Colorado’s Department of Transportation (CDOT) didn’t mince words when he said that distracted driving was “epidemic” and called on motorists to take more responsibility for safe driving. Unless motorists are willing to modify their behavior, nothing that CDOT does to engineer the roadways is going to make them markedly safer for travel. He claims that 90 percent of car crashes are purely the result of human error.
If you’re in a car accident, be alert to the signs that the other driver may have been distracted:
— He or she missed an obvious traffic signal, like a red light or a turning arrow and there was no indication that the driver attempted to brake.
— There were a lot of people in the car, which can be a distraction if they are all talking at once.
— The driver’s GPS system is out and turned on, which shows that the driver may have been listening to direction rather than watching the road.
— The driver has his or her phone already in hand when he or she gets out of the car, indicating that it wasn’t tucked away in a pocket or purse like it should have been.
— He or she has food or food wrappers scattered all over the front of the car, indicating that he or she was in the middle of eating when the accident happened.
Sometimes a driver will own up to his or her errors and admit that he or she was texting or talking on the phone, eating a quick lunch on the run or even distracted by his or her child.
Proving that the other driver was distracted helps establish that he or she was driving in a negligent fashion — which means that he or she should be responsible for paying for your injuries. If the other driver doesn’t admit that he or she was distracted, your attorney can often make use of legal tools like subpoenas and sworn testimony, called depositions, to convince a jury on your behalf.
For more information on how our firm can help you recover fair compensation for your injuries after a car accident with a distracted driver, please visit our page.
