Cellphone use while driving is unequivocally recognized as a dangerous behavior. This act inherently takes your attention off of the road and places it on an absorbing screen that can make you lose a sense of where you are on the road, or even how much time has passed. You may only look at your phone for what seems like a second or two — but usually that means five or ten seconds, which is an eternity when it comes to changing traffic and roadways. A car could have sharply hit the brakes in front you during that time.
Despite this unequivocal danger, people still decide to get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle and take out their cellphones to send an emoticon-rich text to their friends.
What’s so unnerving about the fact that so many people drive while using cellphones is that here in the state of Colorado, it is forbidden. There are two laws on the books that prevent or curb drivers from using cellphones while driving. The first is a total ban on cellphone use for novice drivers (i.e. anyone under the age of 18). The other law is a ban on texting while driving for all drivers, which is a primary law (meaning the police can pull you over for that infraction alone).
There are ways for the police to discover if a driver that caused (or was involved in) and accident was using their cellphone in the build up to the crash. In such cases, the victims of the accident need to consider legal action against the negligent driver.