Are Mobile Apps Causing Aggresive Driving? - St. Louis Auto Injury Lawyer

Mobile apps have completely changed the way we communicate, do business, make friends, and play. There are several social media apps, which offer to help you make new friends, connect with old friends, share your photos and videos with friends, and keep you posted about life events.

One such app has a speed filter that lets you post the speed at which your vehicle is moving. While users are making full use of this feature, it is hard to think of a logical reason for such a thing. Safety experts and law making agencies have also been wondering this, and asserting that this app only encourages people to drive recklessly, even when the app is being used by the passenger. Add to this the obvious distraction of using a cell phone while driving, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Mobile apps such as this have been responsible for causing several accidents over the past year or so. Last year, a teenager was using a mobile app when her car reached 113 mph before it struck another vehicle, and resulted in traumatic brain injuries to the other driver. However, the company claimed that the teen was not using the app around the time of collision. The moment she was loaded into the stretcher, she posted the message “Lucky to be alive” using the app.

Recently, a multi-injury, multi-fatality crash has been blamed on the same speed filter. According to the authorities, the speed filter showed that the vehicle, which was being driven by a 22 year old man, went from 82mph to over 115 mph before it crossed the median and rammed into a minivan. The crash resulted in the death of the driver and the 19 year old passenger. The minivan that they crashed into had three people in it, a mother and her two children. All three of them were injured in the crash.

Developers of the app argue that the it cannot be blamed for the crashes, because a warning message is flashed when the vehicle speed exceeds the limit by 15mph. However, most safety experts say these warnings are not enough to stop reckless driving and speeding.

Our St. Louis auto accident lawyers believes that apps such as these have managed to become so popular among users because it allows them to post real time updates about where they are and what they are doing. While this may appeal to users, it poses serious threat to both the driver and others they are sharing the road with.

If you have been injured in a crash caused by a distracted or reckless driver, get in touch with our experienced car wreck lawyers by calling (314) 361-4242. We can help protect your legal rights and work at getting you the compensation you are entitled to.