New York drivers may be interested to learn that, although the majority believe that distracted driving should be illegal, about one-third are still confident in their abilities to multitask while behind the wheel. According to a study by Progressive Insurance, there was a major difference in confidence levels between drivers of different ages and drivers of different genders.
The study found that 64 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 34 believed that using smartphones for either texting while driving or surfing the net was a common cause of accidents. Even so, 62 percent of the drivers in this age group were confident in their ability to text and drive. Comparatively, only 6 percent of drivers who were 55 or older were confident in their skills to text and drive. When the study took gender into consideration, 88 percent of men and 97 percent of women believed that texting and driving should be illegal; however, 21 percent of men and 11 percent of women were confident in their ability to text and drive safely.
Additionally, the study looked at other activities that some drivers were commonly engaged in. For example, 43 percent believed is was fine to listen to music, 30 percent were okay with using maps while 25 percent said that it was fine to make calls while driving.
No matter how confident drivers are when it comes to their texting and driving skills, they can still be held financially responsible for car accidents if their negligence was the cause. A personal injury attorney could assist with determining the total amount that an injured person may be eligible to seek while negotiating with the liable driver or the insurance company.
