Many people feel like they can’t go more than a few minutes without checking their text messages. It’s very important for them to look at their notifications and stay connected with friends, coworkers and others. They may also want to check notifications from personal messaging systems, social media apps and more.
Doing this while the car is in motion is clearly dangerous, and it’s a form of distracted driving. So would it be safe just to check notifications at a red light?
The distraction continues
It may be safer to look at notifications at a red light, but it is certainly not safe in a general sense. Researchers have studied this and found that drivers are still distracted for another 27 seconds even after they stop texting. So if you sit at a light for a minute, staring at your phone, and then set the phone down when the light turns green, you’re still a distracted driver as you move through the intersection.
In addition to the cognitive distraction—you’re still thinking about the text message or what you were reading or writing—you may have missed important details while you were looking down at your phone. Maybe you’re waiting to turn, for example, but a group of children walking to school entered the crosswalk while you were stopped at the light. You never saw them because you were looking at your phone, so just starting to drive the instant you set the phone down could be very dangerous and could cause a pedestrian accident.
Avoiding driving distractions is wise, but you could still be injured by another driver. If so, you need to know how to seek compensation for medical bills and other costs.
