Law enforcement officials are hoping a device that can detect smartphone use will increase highway safety in Mississippi and across the U.S. The textalyzer allows police conducting accident investigations to determine if distracted driving may have played a role.

The technology is similar in some ways to breathalyzer tests that officers use during DUI stops, according to its manufacturer. Police simply connect it to a smartphone of a driver involved in a car accident. The device takes 90 seconds to analyze data such as texting, social media use, and app downloads and then puts a time stamp on the information.

Public safety advocates have hailed the textalyzer as a breakthrough in the fight to curb negligent driving behavior. With traffic fatalities rising 6 percent between 2015 and 2016, lawmakers in New York, New Jersey, and Tennessee are looking into implementing the technology in their states. However, civil liberties groups have expressed dismay about possible invasions of privacy. They are wary of allowing law enforcement officials to have access to personal and private information for minor accidents that do not involve serious injury or damages.

People who have been injured by a distracted driver may want to consult with an attorney experienced in handling the cases of car accident victims. These attorneys may be able to obtain compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages and other damages through the filing of a lawsuit against the at-fault motorist. Many of these types of lawsuits are settled by the insurance company before trial, but if the plaintiff’s attorney deems the offer to be insufficient, the case could proceed.

When Mississippi residents file lawsuits against negligent drivers after being involved in motor vehicle accidents, they must convince juries of two key elements if they hope to prevail. They must establish that they suffered injury, loss or damage in an accident caused wholly or partly by the negligent behavior of the defendant. Plaintiffs must also be able to justify the amount of the damages they are seeking, and this is generally done by providing juries with documents such as medical bills, bank statements, and paystubs.

Juries also take factors like mental anguish and pain and suffering into consideration when determining how much to award successful plaintiffs, but the arguments they hear before making these decisions are often complex and highly technical. Detailed medical records are often crucial in these situations, and they may be particularly valuable when defendants argue that the injuries suffered by plaintiffs were either caused or aggravated by a prior trauma or preexisting condition.

Police reports can also be useful sources of information in car accident cases. Juries generally give credence to the testimony of first responders, and accident investigators, police officers and paramedics often record their observations and personal opinions in official documentation. Police reports can also provide plaintiffs or their attorneys with information about eyewitnesses who may be able to provide juries with compelling accounts of the events in question.

When official sources are vague or contradictory, experienced personal injury attorneys may visit car accident scenes to conduct additional investigations. They could check the area for surveillance cameras or witnesses that were not spoken to by police, and they may also take photographs of the road surface and nearby signage. These images could provide juries with a clearer picture of the area and may be used counter claims that debris, misleading street signs or inadequate road maintenance played a role.

Several recent studies have indicated that distracted driving is a growing issue. Distracted driving is considered to be anything that takes a motorist’s attention off of the road. This can include everything from eating to changing the radio station. However, smartphones are a significant source of distraction for many people.

According to data from AT&T’s It Can Wait Campaign, around seven out of every 10 people use their cell phones while driving. About 40 percent of people use social media while driving, and a fifth of respondents stated that addiction was their reason for staying on social media even while they were behind the wheel. Alarmingly, 10 percent of individuals have reported that they video chat while driving.

The group of drivers most likely to engage in risky behaviors while on the road are apparently young Millennials who are between the ages of 19 and 24. According to a survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 88 percent of individuals in this age group reportedly engaged in at least one unsafe driving behavior. Making the issue worse is that many of these individuals do not see their behaviors as unsafe.

An individual who engages in distracted driving is increasing their risk of being involved in a car accident. Crashes involving distracted drivers can be dangerous since people will often have delayed response times. If someone has been involved in a crash caused by a distracted driver, they may be able to obtain compensation for crash-related expenses from the at-fault driver or their insurance company. A lawyer could help a client file a claim for compensation.

Tractor-trailers that have been pulled over for safety inspections could be a familiar sight on the roads of Mississippi in early June. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, a nonprofit organization, has announced that its annual 72-hour International Roadcheck safety blitz will begin on June 6, and the focus will be on cargo safety and securement. During 2016’s inspection event, 62,796 commercial vehicles were inspected, and the CVSA suggests that truck drivers can expect a similar degree of scrutiny in early June.

One of the goals of the campaign is to protect motorists and other road users from poorly maintained or otherwise unsafe commercial vehicles, and extremely thorough North American Standard Level I inspections uncovered violations serious enough to remove a truck from service more than 21 percent of the time during the International Roadcheckinitiative in 2016. Trucks were most often pulled off the road due to braking issues or hours of service violations.

Truck drivers who wish to avoid such a fate may wish to read a flyer devoted to cargo safety provided by CVSA. The organization reminds commercial vehicle operators that shifting loads can make driving a challenge and vehicles difficult to handle, and this can be particularly true when cargo becomes unstable at highway speeds. Drivers are urged to make sure that cargo is properly secured at all times and check tie-downs regularly for damage or excessive wear.

When truck accidents are caused by unsafe commercial vehicles, experienced personal injury attorneys may initiate litigation on behalf of those who sustained injuries against the negligent parties. While preparing these kinds of lawsuits, lawyers may study the violations and driving records of the truck and operator involved as well as police reports and accident investigations.

Commercial vehicle drivers in Mississippi and around the country may soon be able to perform delicate loading and unloading maneuvers from remote office locations thanks to technology developed by a San-Francisco-based startup technology company. Starsky Robotics has developed a remote control kit that can be retrofitted to conventional semi-tractor trailer fleets. The company claims that their system will provide additional employment opportunities for experienced truck drivers rather than less.

Companies like Otto and Embark are developing autonomous technology for commercial vehicles that can cope with the demands of highway and city driving, but Starsky Robotics has chosen to focus instead on systems that can take on the more complex maneuvers often called for in terminals, depots and dispatch facilities. The system relies on data captured by front and side mounted cameras and radar. Drivers in remote locations will be able to steer, accelerate and brake using control layouts they are familiar with.

Testing of the system has so far been carried out mainly in trucking yards and depots, but a driver used the system in February to autonomously control a tractor-trailer for 85 percent of a 140-mile trip. A driver was present in the vehicle’s cab during the test, but the company expects to be conducting tests using drivers in remote locations by the end of the year.

Autonomous truck technology could greatly reduce truck accident injuries and deaths by cutting down or eliminating reckless behavior like distracted, impaired and fatigued driving. Even some conventional trucks now feature advanced accident prevention and avoidance systems. Those who suffer injury, loss or damage due to the careless actions of others may pursue civil remedies, and experienced personal injury attorneys could initiate litigation against negligent logistics companies or reckless truck drivers.