Facebooking and Driving Don’t Mix

Take a moment and conduct an Internet search for “Facebook and driving” or “Periscope and driving.” You will receive pages of results of news stories of people involved in accidents around the country because of these dangerous driving habits. People are sitting behind the wheels of their vehicles and, instead of paying attention to the road ahead, sending live video feeds to their followers on social media.

Coined “Facedriving” by some media outlets, people are no longer only distracted by texting and driving or talking and driving. Several people have been arrested for using Periscope or Facebook Live while driving. Even after deleting their videos, these people learned that nothing is deleted in the online world. Why is this behavior so dangerous?

1. Eyes Off the Road

It has been shown that reading or responding to a text can take a person’s eyes off the road for the length of a football field if they are traveling at normal highway speeds. Imagine the number of football fields one can cross virtually blind while they are busy live streaming. Taking your eyes off of the road ahead for even a few moments is incredibly dangerous for yourself, your passengers and other on the road.

2. Hand Off the Wheel

While some people are certainly using some type of cell phone holder while they are streaming videos, others are using their hands. If they are holding their phone, who is holding the wheel? Taking your hands off of the steering wheel not only affects the way you drive and control your vehicle, but it will take longer, even precious seconds, to get your hands back on the wheel and avoid an accident. Experts recommend keeping both hands on the wheel at 9 and 3 to maintain optimum control of a vehicle.

3. Mind in the Game

Driving is an activity that takes mental acuity. You may not realize it is happening, but your brain is performing at high levels when you operate a motor vehicle. Decisions are being made every second, and your full attention is needed. When people are focused on their cell phones, thinking about what they will say, how they look and how they will respond to their followers’ comments, they aren’t keeping their mind on their driving. This dulls reaction time in the case of an emergency or hazardous situation.

In days past, cell phones were thought to be dangerous because people paid more attention to talking and texting. Today, electronic devices are seen as dangerous because of all the things people are using them for behind the wheel, including streaming live feeds. If you feel the need to send live videos to your friends and family, wait until you are in a safe place to do so.

If you are involved in an accident in Charlotte or the surrounding area, call our team of car accident attorneys. If someone else is found to be at fault for your accident, you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages and more. Reach out today to schedule your free case evaluation.