Throughout Atlanta, drivers are at risk of becoming involved in a motor vehicle accident as a result of being distracted by their smart phones or other electronic devices. This April, during National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, a new product was released that is likely to make the risks of distracted driving accidents exponentially worse: that product was the Apple smart watch.
While Georgia has laws in place to restrict the use of electronic devices in an effort to prevent distracted driving, it is not 100 percent clear what impact existing laws are going to have on motorists who purchase and wear the Apple watch. Motorists who do choose to wear this watch and who are distracted by it can be held accountable if they cause a crash due to their unsafe behavior. An Atlanta distracted driving accident lawyer should be consulted to provide assistance to victims of accidents caused by a driver distracted by a smart watch.
Smart Watches Are Going to be Dangerous for Drivers
According to Fast Company, the law has not yet caught up to the new technology and so motorists may be able to use the Apple watch in their vehicle without breaking the law. This does not mean that they should choose to do so.
The use of the Apple watch could significantly increase the dangers of a motor vehicle accident. There have not been a lot of studies done yet on how a smart watch is going to impact a motorist’s ability to safely drive his vehicle. Despite this, the studies that have been completed seem to present bad news. One study showed that the use of a smart watch by drivers was significantly more distracting than the use of a smart phone.
A smart watch is more distracting than a phone because it is always accessible since it is right on a driver’s wrist. The driver does not have to reach for the watch or make a conscious choice to keep the phone in arm’s length when he is in the car since the watch is always right there. Since the watch is more accessible, the driver is more likely to take a look at it. Not only that, but the research also suggests that a motorist is more likely to look at the watch for a longer period of time than he would look at his phone for.
If further research confirms that smart watches are more dangerous, this could have a devastating impact on accident rates. Apple sold around a million smart watches during just the first week after releasing the product at the end of April. The company is going to sell around 30 million more smart watches this year based on current estimates. A significant portion of the population is soon going to have a watch on their wrist that is continuously and repeatedly taking their focus away from the road.
Drivers need to be responsible for their own actions and need to understand that the use of a smart watch when in the car is going to make accidents far more likely. Drivers need to take off their watch or otherwise take steps to ensure it is not a distraction behind the wheel.
The Atlanta car accident lawyers at Van Sant Law, LLC can represent you after an injury caused by a distracted driver. Call today at (800) 234-9556 or contact us online to schedule your free consultation.