Cellphones and smartphones have been blasted within the past
decade for being the cause of many distracted-driving accidents. As a result,
many states have passed laws banning the use of cellphones while driving. These
days, however, your watch could be next. If you have a smartwatch, that is. As
new gadgets and devices come out every year, the next big thing could be
smartwatches, which are still fairly new to the market but steadily growing. This
means in time more people will have smartwatches and therefore this will add to
the list of driving distractions.
A study by the U.K. Transport Research Laboratory found
smartwatches are far more distracting than smartphones. The study found that it
takes 2.52 seconds for someone to react in the event of an emergency after
looking at their smartwatch, compared to 1.85 seconds if they were using a
handheld cellphone.
These smartwatches such as the Apple watch, can beep and
light up with new texts, emails, social media notifications, calendar and other
app notifications. It also taps you on the wrist with a light vibrating touch
to get your attention. It’s just like your smartphone but this one is
conveniently placed on your wrist. It may be more convenient for faster
checking, but that also means you get distracted more easily. All you have to
do is look at your wrist when you see it light up, which even if you know you
shouldn’t do while driving, you might naturally do it anyway without realizing.
Despite tougher
enforcement of banning cellphone use while driving, the amount of related
crashes is not decreasing. According to the National Safety Council,
cellphone-related car accidents already account for 27 percent of all accidents
in the United States. Can you imagine this percentage increasing if we throw
smartwatches into the mix?
With the likely increase in popularity of smartwatches in
the near future, especially with the holidays around the corner where people
may be gifted one, this is a cause for concern. If you have one of these
watches or will have one in the future, treat it just as you should with any
other distraction while driving and leave it alone. Drivers don’t need another
distraction behind the wheel.
If
you or someone you know has been involved in a car crash or truck accident in
Detroit, Grand Rapids, Warren, Sterling Heights, Lansing, Flint, Ann Arbor,
Livonia, Dearborn, Canton, Westland, Troy, Farmington Hills, Southfield,
Waterford or any other city in Michigan, make sure to contact Motor City
Accident Attorneys by calling 1-800-411-PAIN. Motor City Accident Attorneys
know how stressful a car accident can be and want to help you get back on your
feet. They will fight tirelessly for your rights and help you get the
compensation you deserve, according to your specific case. Make sure to follow
Motor City Accident Attorneys on Twitter (@MCAccidentAtty) and Facebook. Join
the conversation by using #MCAA.
