You have many things to be alert for when you are on the road this holiday season. Drivers may be more rushed than usual, holiday parties may result in more impaired drivers, and with so many things to remember and do, drivers may not focus on safety. Even holiday lights may create a distraction to someone behind the wheel.
Unfortunately, from Black Friday forward, you may also be sharing the Alabama roads with mobile shoppers. This extreme form of distracted driving is raising the danger level for you and your family. You will want to be alert for these negligent drivers, but you may not always recognize them in time to prevent a holiday tragedy.
What is mobile shopping?
Mobile shopping can occur at varying levels, but it is all distracted driving, which killed over 20,000 people in the past five years. A driver who glances at his or her phone travels blindly until he or she looks up again. In those few seconds, anything may change, and the driver may not have time to react to avoid a collision.
Imagine how long a driver must look away from the road to do any of the following, which many who responded to a survey admitted doing behind the wheel:
- Browsing for gift items on retail websites
- Checking their accounts on websites to see the status of their orders
- Searching to see if an item offered by a retailer online is also available in the store
- Looking for current sales, coupons or online deals
- Making purchases and going through the checkout process, including entering their credit card numbers and delivery addresses
Analysts of the survey concluded that two out of five drivers engage in mobile shopping, and this number is about 4% higher than last year. This means your chances of suffering injuries or losing a loved one in an accident with an extremely distracted driver are even higher this holiday season.
Seeking justice
Perhaps you have already encountered a mobile shopper, and you are now facing a holiday full of pain and suffering because of your injuries. It may seem grossly unfair to you to deal with injuries that may be life changing simply because another driver could not wait until it was safe to shop online.
While you may not be ready to consider seeking compensation through the civil courts, your actions may provide you with funds to help you cope with your injuries. Furthermore, it may send a strong message to others who may feel tempted to allow themselves to be distracted while driving.
