In the state of California, lawmakers have passed a new statute that declares it is legal for men and women to text and e-mail while behind the wheel as long as they use a hands-free approach. With technology continually developing, there are now dozens of options for hands-free texting on the market. Many phones now come with a hands-free texting application. Newer iPhone models have a digital assistance called Siri who will type messages for an individual who needs to send a message while driving. As well, many bluetooth sets now provide a setting for texting and e-mailing. With more and more cars using Bluetooth technology to sync a phone to the car, there are now some vehicles what will develop the text as you speak it and allow you to send the message using your dashboard entertainment screen.

While all the new technology is exciting, it is not necessarily safe. In fact, studies are showing that while voice-activation texting may not be as dangerous as sending messages on a handheld, it is not necessarily that much safer. When a person sends a handheld text message, research has shown that the action will impair that person just as much as if that driver was intoxicated. Drivers do not typically have their hands on the wheel when they are sending a text message and are not looking at the road. It takes an average of 8 seconds to compose a text message, which means that a driver may be moving along the road blinded from what’s ahead for this amount of time. On top of all of this, the person texting is mentally preoccupied. When it comes to Bluetooth messages, a driver may keep his or her hands on the wheel, but other than that the problems are almost the same.

A person who is composing a text message or e-mail through voice activation will be thinking through what to say, and is therefore not focusing on what is going on ahead of him or her. Should a car brake suddenly or should a driver drift into the lane, the person composing a text message may take too long to react and end up in an accident. As well, when a person uses Bluetooth technology to text, this means that the machine will interpret the message and flash it up on a screen. There are times that the message will be accurate, but it will still require a proofreading. Many times, the machine may not interpret a message correctly and the driver will have to manually correct the mistakes. This means that the driver is hand-held texting once again to correct the message before it is sent.

Many road safety advocacy groups are trying to alert lawmakers to the fact that voice activated texting and e-mailing while behind the wheel is still extremely dangerous. Research at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute proves that drivers who used in-car systems had a difficult time sending messages. According to the research, those that were composing a text took their eyes off of the road for longer than usual and they were often distracted by the high mental demand.

While there are dangers, many argue that sending messages is the same as talking to another passenger that may be in the car. While this argument is made frequently, it is not necessarily legitimate. According to The Atlantic, there are some great differences between sending a message and talking to someone in the car. Psychologically, a person who is sending a message is thinking outside of the car. They are trying to compose a grammatical and creative answer, which means that they will put more effort into what they are going to say than they would if they were talking to someone beside them. If you are involved in an accident that is related to texting and driving, then you need to talk to an attorney near you today for more information! You can seek compensation from the driver at fault if he or she was texting or was distracted in a dangerous way.

In fact, if you can prove that the driver was distracted and therefore at fault for the accident, then you may be able to obtain compensation that you can use to pay any medical bills, repair or replace your vehicle, and covered any lost wages that you may have had to suffer because of your injuries. With the money from your car accident lawsuit, you can ensure that you can recover in comfort and won’t need to take a financial hit. Get more information by calling a local car accident attorney today!