Don’t Play Pokémon Go While You are Driving!!!!

By Zane T. Cagle | July 14, 2016 | Car Accidents, Featured, Inattentiveness, Personal Injury, Wrongful Death

I didn’t think I would ever hear about Pokémon again after the late 90’s, and unless you’ve been in a news vacuum this week then you have heard about the biggest mobile game app in U.S. history– Pokémon Go.

While I love gaming, the obvious problems arise when people play games, text or use social media while driving!  I really cannot repeat this enough….

Stop this stuff while you are driving!
The Pokémon App is Different than a lot of Gaming Apps Because It Makes You Move

The Pokémon Go app game requires you to go to different locations in order to “capture” a Pokémon which is completely fine unless you are operating motor vehicle while playing.  Many are praising the game because it gets gamers up and moving. However, if gamers are staring at their phones while walking into traffic, it is seriously hazardous to their safety in a pedestrian crash.

Sometimes, it is hard to enforce common sense.

Just yesterday, there was an Illinois motor vehicle crash where the driver was playing Pokémon Go while driving, suddenly slammed on the brakes of his vehicle and stopped without warning in order to capture a Pokémon which suddenly appeared in the road in front of him. The sudden stop caused another car to rear end him resulting in a motor vehicle crash.

A local officer thought it was a rare occasion, but the driver of the wrecker service said he had picked up three totaled out cars that day—all due to people playing Pokémon Go and crashing their cars.

Social Media Impact on Vehicle Crashes

Often you hear public service messages about the dangers of  texting and posting to social media while operating a vehicle.  States across the U.S. have banned texting and driving.

At the beginning of June, we saw the disaster of a Snapchat incident where a young lady posted a picture of herself driving at 100 mph and taking “selfies” which resulted in a crash and life-changing injury for another motorist.  Nothing like stamping your photo with your name and a picture of your negligence?    As well,  Snapchat is being sued. Don’t be that person.

That incident launched questions about whether social media applications can possibly be held liable for incidents caused by their participants engaging in distracted driving while using the mobile app.  The Snapchat app is different than the Pokémon Go app as Pokémon Go does not specifically address speed of a motor vehicle. Instead, the gam randomly presents opportunities to capture a Pokémon at unexpected locations.

Should apps and social media have disclaimers or guidelines that their users much accept in order to play?

The choice to be “Distracted” is the ultimate responsibility of the driver.

We’ve all listened to countless radio and television news shows discussing the dangerous of multi-tasking while driving especially in this modern-day era where we all have smart phones.  It’s not breaking news. We know it is dangerous to engage in distracted driving behavior, yet people continue to do it in alarming numbers with serious results.

Each of us have to take personal responsibility for making wise decision while we are driving. If that means refraining from alcohol use or refraining from using your hand-held device—-then, STOP!  In our business, we see the victims of motor vehicle crashes when people make driving errors–most of the time it is “inattentiveness“.

Crashes can happen in seconds to people who are not on their phone, so why would you increase your odds of being in a motor vehicle crash by texting, taking selfies or playing Pokémon Go?

I won’t endanger you by texting and you don’t endanger me by playing Pokémon, okay?

If You Have Been in a Motor Vehicle Crash

If you’ve been in a crash and injured, you will need an attorney.    Hold off on giving any statements to ANY insurance company for several days until you know whether or not you are injured. If you are having pain and are injured, you should consult an expert car accident attorney before giving statements to insurance companies.

We are available seven days a week as we know crashes do not only occur between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.  Call our attorneys seven days a week

Call at (314) 276-1681.

About The Author

Zane T. Cagle

Zane T. Cagle is the founding president and lead trial attorney at The Cagle Law Firm. With a strong dedication to his clients, he has built a reputation for his tenacious representation in personal injury cases, ensuring each client's unique story is heard. Areas of Practice: Personal injury, motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death. Bar Admissions: Supreme Court of Missouri, Illinois & Kentucky. Superior Court of U.S. Virgin Islands Education: Washington University School of Law. Awards: Super Lawyers, Top 40 Under 40 by The National Trial Lawyers Association, 10 Best in Missouri for Customer Satisfaction.

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