Many people spend an hour or more on the road every day. They have to commute to and from work. They may need to take their children to school and pick them back up in the afternoon. The more time that people spend on the road, the greater their risk of a crash.
Those who spend more time in traffic may be susceptible to making unsafe choices. Distracted driving is a noteworthy safety concern for motorists in Missouri and elsewhere. Every year, hundreds of preventable crashes occur because drivers try to split their focus between motor vehicle operation and other activities. According to crash data from the most recent year analyzed by state authorities, more than 100 people die in distracted driving crashes in the state each year. And those numbers only reflect cases that can be proven definitively.
Distraction is almost certainly an underreported issue
In 2023, there were at least 106 distracted driving fatalities in Missouri. That figure may actually be unrealistically low. It only contains confirmed cases of digital distraction. Occasionally, drivers admit to using their phones before crashes. Other times, digital evidence can help prove that they sent or received data immediately before a wreck.
There may have been serious or fatal crashes that did not receive appropriate categorization because state authorities were unable to confirm that distraction occurred. For example, some people have more than one digital device. Other sources of distraction do not leave a digital paper trail.
Eating a cheeseburger on the way to a client meeting can be as distracting as reading a text message. Getting into an argument with a passenger and also lead to distracted driving collisions. In scenarios where there is no objective evidence to prove that distraction contributed to a crash, the state may not record the incident as a distracted driving collision.
That being said, even a hundred fatalities in one year caused by distracted driving is far too many. That number could drop to zero if more motorists focused on safety, rather than simply trying to avoid getting caught while breaking traffic laws.
Distracted drivers may be liable
Digital records proving that distraction was the underlying cause of a crash can help people seek compensation after a wreck. However, proof of distraction is not always necessary to hold another driver responsible.
After all, distracted driving often leads to negligent choices. Even if the people affected by a crash struggle to prove their claims of distraction, they may be able to show that the motorist who caused the wreck did something unsafe or illegal on the road.
Reviewing what happened before a distracted driving crash and the consequences of that motor vehicle collision with a skilled legal team can help people pursue justice after a wreck. Grieving families and those injured by preventable crashes may have the right to seek compensation from a distracted driver.
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