When it comes to the use of cellphones while operating motor vehicles, there is no doubt that it’s dangerous. Indeed, if you’re a single mother driving your kids to school in the morning, you’ve probably seen far too many people with their eyes on their cellphones instead of their eyes on the road.
The state of California outlawed texting-while-driving, but drivers are still doing it, and it’s causing additional fatal accidents every year.
Lawsuit seeks to hold cellphone makers accountable
It makes sense to hold texting drivers liable for injuries if they cause a serious accident, but what about cellphone companies? Phone companies are creating and marketing consumer products that encourage texting-while-driving, and this might imply culpability. Not only that, but texting-while-driving lockout technology has existed for years, but phone companies are hesitant to use it. Are cellphone companies remiss?
One lawsuit filed against Apple in January 2017 accuses Apple of encouraging the dangerous practice of texting-while-driving. The suit alleges that Apple knowingly sold products that promote the dangerous activity of texting behind the wheel. Court papers indicate that a driver suffered serious injuries after a collision caused by a rearward-striking driver who was paying more attention to her iPhone than the road.
Interestingly, the suit is not seeking direct financial compensation. It is merely asking that iPhone sales be placed on hold until technology is used to prevent drivers from texting behind the wheel. In fact, Apple has a technology capable of locking out texting when the phones are in motion in a vehicle. Apple obtained the patent for this technology in 2014. The system uses a “motion analyzer” and a scenery analyzer combined with lock-out programming to prevent drivers from texting.
In spite of the lawsuit, cellphone makers have said that even though the texting-while-driving lockout technology already exists, at this stage, the technology would also lockout other passengers in a vehicle who aren’t driving. Thus, cellphone makers have yet to incorporate it into their phones.
Were you or a family member injured by a distracted driver?
Take a look around, and you’ll see countless motorists operating their cell while sharing the road with you. California roads are clogged with people who text and drive. This behavior is immoral, illegal and extremely dangerous. If you or your loved one was hurt or killed by someone who was recklessly texting and driving, you may be able to pursue a personal injury claim for justice and financial restitution in civil court.
