What you should know about social media and car accidents

Most people enjoy using social media, but it can be harmful if you’ve been involved in a crash and then turn to social media to talk about it. Social media can have a negative effect on your car accident case. What you post, say and do online may hinder your ability to get the compensation that you believe you deserve.

Social media is negative, because it shows only aspects of your life that you want to have seen. For example, you might not be able to walk following a crash, but taking a video of you sitting around and laughing with others could hurt your claim that you’re in chronic pain. Photographs of you enjoying time out with friends or posts discussing how you’re feeling could all hurt your case.

Distractions

As traffic can be stationary at intersections, people often see it as a good chance to take a breather. They may check their cell phone, grab a drink or something to eat, even rest their eyes for a second if they are fatigued. All of these actions are extremely dangerous forms of removing a driver’s attention from the road. Traffic may be stationary for a brief moment at intersections, but this can change rapidly, and road users need to be prepared for this. Traffic and pedestrians can come from numerous different angles, and these are hazards that drivers at intersections must always account for.

Processing the surroundings

At intersections, road users must be able to accurately assess the speed of other vehicles as well as anticipate their next maneuvers. This is surprisingly difficult to do when traffic is moving at various speeds and the volume of people in the area is high. While the human perceptual system is good, it is not perfect and errors in judgment can happen. A failure to anticipate the speed of a vehicle or the space needed to make a turn can result in devastating collisions.

Driving in Florida can be a challenge, especially at intersections. It is vital that you stay safe and other road users should not endanger you in a reckless manner. If you have been hurt because of someone else’s driving, make sure you explore your legal options.