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The 4 Most Common Car Accidents Caused by Cell Phone Use

The best thing you can do to lessen your chances of getting into a cell phone-related car accident is to resist phone use while driving.

If you ask a St. Louis car accident lawyer for the most commons reasons why people come to them, accidents related to cell phone use will be near the top of the list. When drivers decide to use their cell phone, they are putting themselves and every other person on the road at risk. The reason is that phones cause distraction. This means that those drivers frequently take their hands off the wheel or eyes off of the road. The result is a significant amount of car accidents occurring every day, many of which are fatal. Below, we discuss the most common accidents caused by cell phone use and explain why they happen.

Rear-End Collisions

The most common type of accident for cell phone users is a rear-end collision. The reason is that when they take their attention off of the road, their reaction time suffers. A situation that frequently occurs on the road is a car stopping quickly in front of you. To avoid hitting them, you need to be paying attention and ready to hit the brakes. Delaying that process by even half a second can be the difference between stopping short and rear-ending the driver in front of you.

Single Car Accidents

A single-car accident is defined as crashes that involve only one driver. This often means crashing into a parked car, street sign, tree, or some other object. When a driver takes their eyes off the road, they tend to start drifting. This effect is heightened if they choose to take one or both hands off of the wheel too. When these actions are taken, drivers lose control and drive off of the road and strike objects.

Side Impact Collisions

Side-impact collisions are one of the deadliest types of crashes. The reason is that the side of a car is the least protected part, leaving the driver vulnerable to severe injury. The vast majority of these accidents happen because a driver runs through a stop sign or red light. Distracted drivers are much more likely to do these two things, so they frequently take part in side-impact crashes.

Head-On Collisions

Perhaps the deadliest crashes of all are head-on accidents. The reason is that both cars are generally traveling at high speeds and transfer a tremendous amount of momentum to each other. The reason that cell phone users get into these accidents so much is that when you are distracted, you are more likely to make mistakes. Drifting into oncoming traffic or accidentally driving in the wrong lane are two errors that lead to head-on collisions.

The best thing you can do to lessen your chances of getting into a cell phone-related car accident is to resist phone use while driving. If you have trouble doing so, you can use a safety application or put your phone out of reach to help change your habits. Still, you cannot control other drivers. If a driver collides with you while using their cell phone, there is a good chance you will be entitled to benefits. The best way to find out is by talking to a St. Louis car accident lawyer.

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Updated: July 9, 2019