If something is within the bounds of Mississippi law, can it impact negligence in a Mississippi lawsuit? This is the question that leads many to wonder if their personal injury lawsuit can be affected by the use of a hands-free device. If you are looking for an answer to this question, you’ve come to the right place.
Hands-Free Devices & Mississippi Law
Under Mississippi law, use of hands-free devices while behind the wheel is permissible. In fact, many people openly exclaim that hands-free devices are a workaround of the “no texting while behind the wheel” rule. However, just because it is permissible by law, that does not mean it won’t impact liability.
Liability and negligence in personal injury lawsuits is often determined by assessing the facts surrounding the case. In some situations, a driver breaks the law and causes an accident: in a personal injury claim, he or she is likely to be held liable for the accident. In other scenarios, neither driver was breaking the law when the accident occurred, but their actions leading up to the accident can still impact personal injury liability.
Hands-Free Devices & Liability
The term “distracted driving” is not necessarily a legal term as much as it is a liability term. Every driver is guilty of distracted driving every day, but often, this is not illegal, nor does it end in an accident. However, in some scenarios, the person’s distracted driving does cause an accident: in these cases, their distracted driving could force a verdict in regards to liability.
Some forms of distracted driving that can end in liability include:
- Talking on the phone;
- using a hands-free device;
- eating or drinking;
- reaching for an item on the floor of your car.
As you can see, not only do hands-free devices impact liability and negligence in car accidents, but they are only one of the many forms of distracted driving that can result in the determination of liability.
If you are injured in an auto accident caused by someone else’s negligence, call 601-800-5339 now for a free consultation of your case.