Most California motorists are aware that distracted driving is widespread, especially with new technologies stealing away people’s attention. What they may not know is that it becomes an even greater issue during the summertime. During its newly launched Every Second Matters™ event, which took place on June 15 on Capitol Hill, the Travelers Institute brought this up and urged safe driving for all.
Travelers referred to some recent data from a TrueMotion study. The smartphone telematics platform analyzed sensor data from its free mobile app, called TrueMotion Family, in the effort to determine when drivers were distracted. The analysis involved more than 20,000 drivers and their trips taken between January 2017 and May 2018. Researchers concluded that distraction was the most rife in June, July and August.
These same three months, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, see 29 percent more road deaths than the winter months of December, January and February. NHTSA also states that drivers travel 20 percent more miles during the summer than the winter, as many are out taking road trips or celebrating holidays.
The goal of the Every Second Matters™ symposium was to raise awareness of distracted driving. Travelers hopes that one day, it will loom in the public’s consciousness in the same way that driving drunk or without a seat belt does.
So long as drivers think it’s okay, though, they will raise their risk for motor vehicle accidents. Innocent victims can fortunately seek compensation after such accidents. It might take a lawyer, though, to prove that the other driver was distracted, as this requires the analysis of evidence like police reports and cellphone records.