New Jersey residents who are mobile workers or the employers of a grey fleet may be interested to know the results of the 2018 Distracted Driving Report offered by Motus, a workforce management company. Motus has linked the increase in car crashes among mobile workers to an increase in smartphone ownership.
Between 2013 and 2017, smartphone ownership went up from 55 to 77 percent among mobile workers while the number of auto accidents they got in rose from 5.7 million to 6.4 million. The mobile workforce is growing and becoming connected at all times, so this trend is worrying. Motus calculated that mobile workers also travel 49 percent more than any other type of employee in America.
Every year, each mobile worker drives an estimated 1,200 “distracted miles.” While phone use is not the only factor in distracted driving crashes, it is arguably the primary one. In 2017, Americans in general drove 107 billion miles while distracted by their phones.
Accidents among the grey fleet are costing employers in legal and medical expenses, property damage and lost productivity. Every crash costs about $4,400, and phone distraction costs the employer about $1,680. Motus discovered that in 2017, mobile workers missed 1.65 million work days on account of crashes. However, the organization’s various safe driving tools are helping businesses reduce the rate of collisions among their employees.
When car accidents arise because of distracted driving or another negligent action, victims may be eligible for compensation. In a two-car crash, victims must show that they were 50 percent or less to blame. This is where a lawyer may come in, evaluate the case and take it on if the grounds are strong. Personal injury lawyers might have a network of professionals to aid in gathering evidence against the defendant. Lawyers may handle the negotiation phase on behalf of clients.