Distraction at the wheel has become a leading cause of modern collisions. Of all the forms of distraction, digital distraction is one of the most severe and commonplace. Mobile phones play a causative role in thousands of car wrecks each year.
Many drivers think they can read a text message or dictate an email while driving. They think they can safely multitask while driving and will only stop doing so after they unintentionally cause a crash. Drivers who didn’t worry about how distraction affected their safety are often loathe to take responsibility for the impact of their decisions and may lie to the police about their actions.
If you were hurt or suffered vehicle damage in a crash caused by someone using their phone, how can you prove their misconduct?
Look for outside evidence beyond your own statement
Pennsylvania has many traffic cameras. One of the fastest and simplest ways to gather conclusive evidence of someone texting at the wheel is to find photo or video evidence of that misconduct. There are hundreds of traffic cameras around Pennsylvania, and cameras near an intersection where a crash occurs may capture footage showing misconduct by one driver.
There could also be footage from people’s phones nearby, from local security cameras or even from dashboard cameras in your vehicle or another nearby car that could help you. In some cases, police officers can obtain phone records to verify if someone used data or an app at the time of a crash.
Even if the other driver doesn’t want to admit their misconduct, there may be ways to prove that they drove while distracted. Establishing faults will be an important step when trying to seek compensation after a recent car crash.