It’s unwise to take your eyes off the road when you’re driving, but if you do so and the worst happens, your insurer will find it tough to show beyond doubt that a distraction was the root of the accident.
“While it’s both dangerous and illegal to use your mobile phone while driving, it’s sometimes hard to prove that distracted driving is the cause of an accident,” said King Price client experience partner, Wynand van Vuuren.
As such, your insurance claim won’t be denied on the basis of distracted driving, at least not “at this stage,” he said.
Just don’t do it
All of us have been guilty of talking on the phone or checking messages, applying makeup, eating and drinking, adjusting the radio, or using the navigation system while the car is moving and we are behind the wheel, but all of this significantly raises the risk of having an accident.
Even seemingly harmless behaviour like reading a WhatsApp, which takes on average five seconds, is equivalent to driving the length of a rugby field with your eyes closed if you’re doing 90km/h.
In fact, a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Insitute found that texting while driving increases the risk of an accident 23-fold and that the reaction time of a texting driver is almost three times slower than that of a drunk driver – 35% vs 12%.
While your insurer may not be able to prove you were the one at fault, it still doesn’t mean you should take distracted driving lightly as it is one of the leading causes of accidents on South Africa’s treacherous roads.
“In 2022, 162 people died on South Africa’s roads over Easter, with drunk driving, speeding, driving while tired or distracted, and pedestrian accidents playing a major role in the death rate,” said Van Vuuren.
Research further suggests that human error accounts for 8 out of every 10 accidents on local roads.
“The bottom line is that our roads are already dangerous, with potholes, traffic lights being out due to loadshedding, and pedestrians crossing’” said Van Vuuren.
“If you add messages, make-up, and padkos to the mix, you’re simply creating an unbearable level of risk – for you, your passengers, and other road users.”
Keyword: Texting and driving – Insurers can’t prove it, but don’t do it