Drivers in Montana might believe that using hands-free cellphones while driving cuts down in distracted driving behavior, but data analyzed and released by Lytx, a company specializing in analyzing data and providing safety solutions for driving fleets in the commercial and public sectors, shows that the use of hands-free devices might actually lead to drivers engaging in at least one additional distracting activity.
While everyone is aware that holding and talking on a cellphone might result in motor vehicle accidents, many might not see the correlation between hands-free cellphones and other distracted driving behaviors. However, data shows that while the use of hands-free cellphones increased 27% in 2018, having free hands while talking seems to allow drivers to do other potentially distracting things, such as eating, drinking and using other devices. In addition, some drivers who use hands-free cellphones also engage in other risky behavior, including speeding, driving without a seat belt or following the vehicle ahead of them too closely.
Talking on a cellphone while driving, whether hands-free or not, seems to point toward a driver’s lack of concern for their own safety, and it is often accompanied by not using their seat belts or eating and drinking. The use of hands-free cellphones also seems to provide a false sense of comfort to drivers, who might not understand that talking on the phone is already distracting them, and when they add eating or drinking, for example, the distraction grows, leading to a much higher risk for accidents.
Distracted driving accidents continue to be an area of deep concern. Victims of such accidents might consider filing a personal injury claim. They may speak with a lawyer to review their case to determine which type of claim they can file. A lawyer may also help them gather evidence to support their claim, such as police reports, witness accounts and medical records.
