By: Keibler Law Group April 15, 2024

South Carolina Car Accidents Caused by Driver on Their Phone

Accidents Caused by Drivers on Their Phones is a Major Issue in South Carolina

South Carolina averages two car crashes every hour as a result of a distracted driver. Unfortunately, you often see people texting or talking on their phones while driving in South Carolina. Have you seen the massive new displays in these vehicles! They look like an iPad on that dash board. Fiddling with car technologies or cellphones is distracted driving and can lead to an accident. Every few minutes, an individual driver hits an obstacle or two or more cars collide. If you are in a car accident with a distracted driver or someone texting or talking on their phone, you could recover compensation. Contact Keibler Law Group today.

Distracted Driving kills more than eight people and injures another 1,095 people every day in the U.S.
South Carolina is #1 in the nation for fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 2019.
A teen driver is involved in a collision that kills or injuries someone every 1.4 hours in South Carolina.
Texting and driving is 6x more dangerous than drunk driving

Distracted Driving Accidents in South Carolina

Texting, changing the music, looking at an email, or social media. There is just so much to do on cell phones that drivers should not do while driving. Just a few seconds with eyes off the road can lead to a collision. Sometimes, it’s a small fender bender that’s easily taken care of with insurance. Other times, the crash and its consequences are far greater, leaving people injured or dead.

Many of these accidents, big or small, are caused by distracted drivers or drivers on their phones or other devices. According to Distraction.gov, the official U.S. government website for this issue, thousands of people are killed and hundreds of thousands are hurt every year due to inattentive drivers – and the numbers are going up.

When we think of distracted drivers, we often think of people texting or using their phones, but it’s much more than that. Common activities like eating a sandwich, drinking coffee, or talking with a car full of friends can cause drivers to be preoccupied. In addition, many display technologies on newer vehicles present iPad like features with Apple car play, navigation, talk to text, and a variety of other distracting features.

Anything that takes a person’s eyes, mind, or attention off the road is distracted driver and can be dangerous. These accidents can lead to death or serious injury.

For those who are hurt in an accident, seeking necessary medical attention and being unable to work can put a significant financial strain on themselves and their families. If they can’t recover what they need through insurance, they may have to file a lawsuit.

If you or someone you love were hurt because someone wasn’t paying attention to the road and their driving, the consequences shouldn’t be on your shoulders alone. An experienced South Carolina personal injury attorney can help you recover from an accident caused by a distracted driver, whether through helping you with insurance claims or suing the party at fault.

What is Distracted Driving?

Almost everyone multitasks while they drive, so many people question the level of activity it tasks to truly distract someone from driving. The truth is it doesn’t take much. Any time drivers take their eyes off the road, their hands off the wheel, or let their minds wander away from the task at hand, they’re distracted. Safe driving takes visual, manual, and cognitive attention.

If a driver is drinking coffee, changing the radio, putting on spotify or a podcast, entering the destination into navigation or Waze, doing their make up in the mirror, talking on the phone, reading an email, or digging in the center console for chapstick, that driver is distracted.

People often take for granted how much attention the task of driving requires and believe that after years of practice, they can do more than one thing at once. However, it’s this attitude that leads to distracted driving, and inattentive drivers cause accidents that can lead to serious injury or death.

Cellphones and Distracted Driving

Texting and driving is SIX TIMES more dangerous than drunk driving. How often do you see someone swaying in the road just to pass them and they’re eyes are looking at their phone. Too often! This should never happen. More and more people are glued to their phones at the wrong time whether responding to a text, email, setting an address for navigation, or responding to a facebook comment. There is a time and a place for this – but it is never while driving.

All of these features mean there are numerous notifications going off at any given time and an endless temptation to check these alerts while people drive.

Using a phone while driving means people take a hand off the wheel and – even though they seem like brief glances – take their eyes off the road. Reading a notification or text and choosing to respond takes people’s minds away from driving and has them focused on their phones.

Many people argue voice activation and headsets make talking and texting while driving much safer, but this isn’t always true. If a driver is paying more attention to the conversation than driving, he or she could still be too preoccupied to avoid a collision.

Teens and Distracted Driving

In South Carolina, a teen driver is involved in a collision that kills or injures someone every 1.4 hours. Studies have shown distraction plays a significant role in teen crashes – more than authorities previously thought. Teenagers are particularly susceptible to the desire to text and drive. However, it isn’t just mobile phones taking teens’ eyes off the roads. Interacting with passengers often leads to crashes as teens are more attentive to their friends than driving.

Teenagers are used to being on their phones all of the time, but when mixed with their inexperience behind the wheel, cell phone use and driving can be deadly.

Infographic courtesy of South Carolina Department of Interior

Contact Keibler Law Group Today for a Free Evaluation

Reaching out to a qualified, responsive, and thoughtful lawyer is key. Many lawyers will take the case and wait just until the Statute of Limitations to begin researching and filing a complaint. This is not what we do. We investigate the claim right when it comes in to determine liability and evaluate the claim. We investigate to see the cause of the accident – some involve drivers who use alcohol or other drugs. In other accidents, drivers get distracted by their phones. It’s also common to witness drivers speeding, running red lights, failing to yield, and engaging in other illegal or dangerous behaviors. Sometimes, the fault of an accident stems from a mechanical problem in a vehicle, such as faulty brakes.

A car accident lawyer will know how to analyze a collision and determine who is at fault. You’ll develop a stronger understanding of what occurred during the accident and what your options are in the aftermath.

At Keibler Law Group, we treat our clients with respect, dedication, and prompt personal attention. We value ourselves on our use and implementation of top technologies to achieve the best results while also providing excellent service to our clients. We become their advocates and work hard to give them the best possible outcome for their case. In a time of grief, it’s critical to work with a lawyer who provides consistent support and strives to protect your interests.