It usually feels safe to check your phone at a red light. You know that you shouldn’t do it while you’re driving because then you wouldn’t be looking at the road and you could cause an accident. But once you’ve already stopped at a red light, then you are just killing time until the light turns green. Many people use this to catch up on notifications or even send text messages.
However, studies have found that this definitely is not safe. The problem is that the distraction doesn’t end simply because your text message does. It lasts for another 27 seconds. This means that you’re definitely going to be distracted when the light turns green and you set your phone down to begin driving.
Proving distracted driving
Another thing to consider is that distracted driving can sometimes be proven by looking at logs of phone activity in the car. For example, if you do cause an accident, the authorities may want to check to see if you sent a text message right before that crash. You may attest that you were sitting at a red light at the time, but all they’re going to see is that you did send a message a few seconds before the wreck.
What if you’ve been injured?
As you can see, the only safe option is to leave the phone off whenever you’re in the car. Unfortunately, many people do not do this and another driver could injure you when they cause an accident, even if you haven’t made any mistakes. In a scenario like that, it becomes crucial to know how to seek financial compensation.