One of the most dangerous issues regarding cellphone addiction

Cellphone addiction is fairly common. A lot of people use their phones for numerous tasks, from navigating with their GPS to listening to music, to tracking their steps to engaging with social media. The phone is an incredible tool, but this usefulness can sometimes lead to addiction and use disorders wherein people are simply on the phone too much. They are conditioned to use it all of the time.

This can lead to a lot of different issues. For instance, overuse has been linked to things like online shopping compulsions, narcissism, information overload and much more. But, while these things are important, there is one issue that is much more dangerous for the average American: Distracted driving.

The rise in car accidents

Distracted driving has created a rise in the number of serious car accidents that occur on an annual basis. Oftentimes, phone distraction is hard to prove after the fact. Someone who causes an accident may deny that they were on their phone and, if there’s no proof that they were, it doesn’t count as a distracted driving accident.

The issue with addiction is that it causes people to break the law and take chances that they otherwise wouldn’t take. Everyone knows that using their phone in the car is dangerous. They also know that using a handheld device while driving is prohibited in most areas of the U.S. But they will still do it because their addiction has conditioned them to respond to that phone above all else. Even someone who doesn’t actively decide to use their phone may get a notification that causes them to pick it up. It’s at a time like that, where they know they should ignore the phone, that addiction causes them to act against their own best interests.

Seeking compensation after an accident

You may turn your phone off every time you get in the car so that you are never distracted, but other drivers are still going to cause accidents because they are. Be sure to seek legal guidance so that you know how to seek compensation if you get injured in one of these accidents.