What gets lost in the topic of motor vehicle accidents is the word “accident.” It has become normalized when you talk about a collision between two vehicles. An accident, in the literal sense, implies an unfortunate event that wasn’t intended. In that sense, no one wants or intends to get into an accident. However, it can be tough to reconcile that sentiment when you see people willfully look down at their cellphone when they are driving down the freeway, or knowingly get behind the wheel of a car when they are intoxicated.
The California Highway Patrol is hitting on this point by creating a new movement to reduce the number of accidents that are caused by distracted driving. One of the cruxes of their argument for this movement is that driving distracted is a “choice,” and thus it is entirely preventable.
But it also means that what the CHP is arguing is that distracted driving accidents aren’t “accidents,” at least not in the literal sense we mentioned at the beginning of this post. That’s a strong message to send, and one that we hope gets through to the public at large. It is far too easy to be distracted these days, and if we don’t recognize this danger — one that is self-inflicted and chosen — it will be very difficult to combat it.
If you are unfortunately involved in a distracted driving accident and you are considering legal action, then you should consult with an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible.
Source: Paso Robles Daily News, “CHP: Distracted driving is no accident,” Nov. 13, 2016