Motus: Mobile Worker Car Crashes Due to Rise in Smartphones
The vehicle management and reimbursement platform Motus has released its 2018 Distracted Driving Report, and the results touch directly on the mobile workforce in North Carolina and across the U.S. The most crucial of its findings is that there is a link between the increase in car crashes among mobile workers and an increase in smartphone ownership.
Relationships Between Smartphone Use and Accidents
Between 2013 and 2017, the percentage of mobile workers with smartphones went up from 55 to 77. During the same time, the number of year-end auto accidents these drivers were involved in rose from 5.7 million to 6.4 million. The mobile workforce is becoming more and more connected, but because of this, it is also becoming more distracted. Motus calculates that every year, mobile workers drive a total of 1,200 miles while distracted.
Motus also found that mobile workers travel more than any other kind of employee, taking about 49 percent more trips. Smartphone use among them hits its peak between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., but the mornings and evenings are also dangerous because these are the commuting times. Phone use affects everyone; in 2017, Americans drove 107 billion phone-distracted miles.
Every crash involving a mobile worker costs the employer about $4,400 in legal and medical expenses, property damage, and lost productivity. However, Motus offers tools through its Driver Safety Solutions that can help businesses reduce crash rates.
When distracted driving is behind an auto accident, victims who are not to blame can file for compensation. North Carolina follows the strict rule of comparative negligence, so those who contribute even 1 percent to a crash will not be eligible for compensation. This is why it’s important to have a lawyer evaluate the case. If the grounds for a claim are strong, the lawyer can have investigators gather proof that will help during negotiations for a settlement.
