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Social Media Kills on the Road

Joseph Paulozzi
February 3, 2021

Distracted driving has been a persistent problem since cell phones became popular. Now, with the rise of social media, distracted driving has reached a whole new level. Snapchat, Twitter, and TikTok have all been linked to an increase in distracted driving, mainly for teens. 1 in 10 people die every day due to distracted driving. Another 1,000 are injured.If you or someone you know has been injured due to a distracted driver, you need a car accident attorney in Cleveland, Ohio. The dedicated and aggressive team of lawyers at Paulozzi LPA will see that you and your family reserve the compensation you deserve. Call today.

Generation Z and Driving with Social Media

New research is emerging that Gen Z is spending drastically more time on their phones than Millennials. According to Business Insider, the top three apps Gen Z is using are:

  • Snapchat
  • Twitch
  • Wish
  • Twitter

EndDD.org, End Distracted Driving, aims to petition social media apps to take responsibility for distracted driving. In this petition, they encourage companies to:

  • Have a warning screen for the apps to remind drivers not to use the app while driving
  • Issue public statements aimed at teenagers and young adults to not use their app while driving
  • Partner with highway safety advocates to develop other public policies to help end distracted driving

How Persistent is the Problem?

A new study from DriversEd.com, Distracted Driving and Social Media has made some disturbing findings. In the study, they found that:

  • 35% of people have caught their driver watching a video
  • 68% of people have seen their driver checking social media
  • 55% of drivers have admitted to looking at their social media while driving.

Why is social media such an addiction?

According to BBC Panorama, the apps are deliberately made to be addictive. Former Mozilla and Jawbone employee Aza Raskin stated he designed an infinite scroll, commonly used in social media apps. "It's as if they're taking behavioral cocaine and just sprinkling it all over your interface, and that's the thing that keeps you like coming back and back and back."Leah Pearlman, who co-invented Facebook's Like button, revealed she began to base her sense of self-worth on the number of "likes" she had.With more and more software engineers coming forward about these apps' addictiveness, how do we, as parents, combat distracted driving?We educate our teen drivers. Just like Stranger-Danger, we drive into their minds the potentially lethal consequences of using their phone while driving. Have them keep their phone in the trunk of the car or at least the back seat. Make sure the Bluetooth is working before they leave. Make it part of the process; seat adjusted, check. Mirrors adjusted, check. Seatbelt, check. Bluetooth working, check. Phone in the back, check. Habits are everything. They drive 95% of our daily lives. Make putting the phone away from a habit.

How Paulozzi LPA Injury Lawyers Can Help

The surefire way to bring attention to any problem is to make it too costly to ignore. If a distracted driver has injured you or someone you love, don't rely on insurance companies to take care of you and your family. The award-winning attorneys at Paulozzi LPA will investigate your case and make sure you are too costly to ignore. When you need a car accident attorney in Cleveland, Ohio, you need Paulozzi LPA. Contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling us at 888-710-0040.

Joseph Paulozzi
February 3, 2021
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