You can’t go anywhere without hearing about Pokemon Go.  From the airwaves, to the internet, to watching clusters of people stare at their cellphone in your local park.  The app was released in America on July 6, 2016 and broke the record for most downloads in its first week in the history of the App Store.

For most, it’s a fun and nostalgic way to spend their free time.  However, for others, it has become yet another distraction on our motorways:
•    Pokemon Go player crashes into cop car (http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/07/21/pokemon-go-police-car-crash-orig-vstan.cnn)
•    Pokemon Go player crashes his car into tree
(http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/07/14/pokmon-go-player-crashes-his-car-into-tree/87074762/)
•    Pennsylvania Teenager Hit By Car While Playing Pokemon Go
(http://time.com/4405221/pokemon-go-teen-hit-by-car/)

Even before Pokemon Go, distracted driving has already been a problem in America.  (Below statistics provided by Distraction.gov)

•    In 2014, 3,179 people were killed and 431,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.
•    At any given daylight moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving, a number that has held steady since 2010.
•    Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while using your cellphone. When traveling at 55mph, that's enough time to cover the length of a football field blindfolded.
•    Ten percent of all drivers 15 to 19 years old involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crashes. This age group has the largest proportion of driv¬ers who were distracted at the time of the crashes.
•    Drivers in their 20s are 23 percent of drivers in all fatal crashes, but are 27 percent of the distracted drivers and 38 percent of the distracted drivers who were using cell phones in fatal crashes.

Lardiere McNair LLC recommends that individuals “don’t Pokemon and drive”.  Unfortunately, accidents happen suddenly and can have devastating effects your health and finances.  Lardiere McNair has a robust personal injury practice.  If you or a loved one has been injured in an automobile accident, you should contact an attorney for a consultation to discuss your rights.

Chad Stonebrook is an Associate at Lardiere McNair, LLC.  To read more about our firm, please visit https://lawyerscolumbusohio.com/.
The information presented here has been prepared by Lardiere McNair for promotional and informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice.  This information is not intended to provide, and receipt of it does not constitute, legal advice.  Nor does the receipt of this material create an attorney/client relationship.  An attorney client relationship is not established until such time as Lardiere McNair enters in to a written engagement agreement with a specific client for a specific legal matter.