Tustin Car Accident Lawyer Reiterates Concern
It’s been several years now since our state legislature passed SB 491, an omnibus bill that covered various aspects of transportation. As you know from earlier car accident attorney posts, I’ve warned against the dangers of distracted driving. In many cases my auto accident clients were the victims of a distracted driver. All too often distracted or impaired driving takes a life and whatever we can do to prevent that is welcome. As a personal injury attorney who deals with automobile accidents after the fact, I can’t prevent something that’s already occurred. I can, however, continue to advocate for more safety on our Orange County streets to reduce the amount of accidents and the severity of those. That’s why aspects of SB 491 were so welcome.
Car accident lawyer warns against earbud use
As I touched on previously SB 491 addressed earbuds or headsets worn or used by drivers. As you can imagine, using a device that ostensibly prevents a driver from hearing things that are outside his or her vehicle (e.g., police or fire sirens, screeching tires, etc.), seems to be a bad idea on the face of it. That didn’t stop many people from wearing or using these devices so as the dangers of new technology increase so does the legislation to address these things.
Among other things, this law, among other things, makes it unlawful to wear earbuds or headset while driving. The specific text reads:
“A person operating a motor vehicle or bicycle may not wear a headset covering, earplugs in, or earphones covering, resting on, or inserted in, both ears.”
This appears in Section 27400 of the Vehicle Code of California.
As we all know distracted drivers are a frequent cause of car accidents. If you are in a car crash and you see that the other driver (responsible for the crash) was engaged in something that resulted in them being distracted and not concentrating on driving safely, I suggest you write it down. Even better if the other driver is still engaged in the distracting activity after the crash, including something such as using earbuds while driving, take a photograph. The photo may help you (and your car accident lawyer) prove your case at a later date and can assist in recovering full and fair compensation from an insurance company.
If you have experienced an automobile accident caused by another and would like to consult with a Tustin accident attorney, please don’t hesitate to call me for a no-cost consultation. 714-544-1460. If you are hurt, we can help!