Has Watching Videos Behind the Wheel Become the New Texting?

Has Watching Videos Behind the Wheel Become the New Texting?

Drivers across Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley are doing something that would have seemed extreme just a few years ago. They’re watching full videos on their phones while moving through traffic on the 101, sitting at a red light on Ventura Boulevard, or rolling through a neighborhood in Encino. Not glancing. Watching. And the crashes that result are every bit as serious as anything caused by a driver who looked down to send a text.

California law treats this as distracted driving, full stop. It doesn’t matter if the phone was mounted. It doesn’t matter if the driver was stopped at a light. The moment attention moves from the road to a screen, the legal and physical risk is the same. What changes is who ends up paying for it.

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. This post breaks down the numbers behind this growing trend, what California law says about drivers who cause crashes while watching video, and what an injured person in the Los Angeles area can actually recover.

Is Watching Videos While Driving Getting More Common in California?

The data makes a strong case that it is.

More than one in five U.S. drivers reported watching streaming video, making video calls, or scrolling social media on most or all of their trips, according to an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety survey. A separate survey of 1,600 drivers found that 19% admitted to watching YouTube specifically while behind the wheel. Mobile video streaming hours jumped 65% between 2018 and 2020 alone. The drivers most likely to engage in these distracting activities are between 18 and 34.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines distracted driving as any activity that diverts a driver’s attention from operating the vehicle. Streaming video on a cell phone while driving fits that definition completely. Handheld cell phone use while driving rose 2% from 2024 to 2025 nationally, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. The trend isn’t flattening. It’s climbing.

California records thousands of distracted driving crashes every year. Los Angeles County consistently ranks among the most dangerous areas in the state for distraction-related collisions, partly because of sheer traffic volume and partly because stop-and-go conditions on freeways like the 405 and surface streets like Sepulveda give drivers the false sense that slow traffic makes phone use safer. It doesn’t. Reaction time disappears just as fast at 15 miles per hour as it does at 65.

What Makes Streaming Video More Dangerous Than Other Distracting Activities?

Most distracting activities take a driver’s attention for a moment. Streaming video takes it and holds it.

Safety researchers divide distraction into three types: visual distractions, manual distractions, and cognitive distraction. Watching a video triggers all three at once. Eyes leave the road — that’s a visual distraction. Hands may shift on the wheel — that’s a manual distraction. And cognitive distraction sets in the moment the brain stops tracking speed, following distance, and what’s happening at the next intersection.

Reaction time doesn’t just slow down when all three types of distraction are active. It collapses. Reaction times that would allow a driver to brake for someone stepping off a curb on Ventura, or slow for a cyclist merging on Balboa, are simply gone.

At 55 miles per hour, a vehicle travels roughly 80 feet per second. A driver watching even a short clip covers the length of a football field without watching the road. That’s how rear-end collisions happen at full speed. That’s how pedestrians get struck in crosswalks on busy LA corridors. That’s how an ordinary drive through Encino turns into an emergency.

What Does California Law Say About Drivers Who Watch Videos Behind the Wheel?

California has some of the strongest handheld device laws in the country. Drivers are prohibited from holding or using a phone while operating a vehicle, and watching streaming video on a handheld device is a direct violation of that law.

The practical meaning for someone who was hurt by a distracted driver is significant. When a driver breaks a California traffic law and that violation causes a crash, it can establish negligence as a matter of law. You don’t have to argue that watching videos while driving was unreasonable behavior. California law has already made that determination.

What you do have to show is that the violation caused your injuries. That connection between the driver’s cell phone use and the harm you suffered is where evidence becomes critical, and where having an experienced personal injury attorney in Los Angeles working your case makes a real difference.

Unlike some states, California follows a comparative fault standard. If an injured person shares some responsibility for a crash, their recovery is reduced by their percentage of fault rather than eliminated entirely. This is meaningfully different from the harsh all-or-nothing rules that exist in other states. But insurance companies still look for ways to push fault onto injured people and reduce payouts. Don’t assume the fairer standard means the process is easy.

What Are the Most Common Injuries in Distracted Driving Crashes in the Los Angeles Area?

Drivers who are watching video often don’t react before impact at all. No braking. No swerving. Just full-speed contact. The injuries that follow reflect that.

• Traumatic brain injuries: Blunt force from airbags, windows, or the steering column can produce lasting cognitive damage even without an obvious head wound
• Spinal cord injuries: The violent forces in rear-end and side-impact crashes damage discs, nerves, and vertebrae in ways that can affect someone for the rest of their life
• Broken bones: Ribs, arms, legs, and facial bones are commonly fractured in high-speed collisions
• Internal injuries: Organ damage from seatbelt compression or blunt force isn’t always apparent in the hours immediately after a crash
• Soft tissue damage: Whiplash and deep muscle injuries can cause chronic pain that doesn’t peak until days after the collision

Los Angeles traffic means crashes can happen at any speed. A low-speed collision on Ventura Boulevard can still produce a serious cervical injury. A freeway crash on the 101 near Encino can be catastrophic. The speed of the crash matters less than whether the driver was paying attention.

What Can an Injured Person Recover After a Distracted Driving Crash in California?

California personal injury law allows crash victims to pursue compensation for the full scope of losses caused by another driver’s negligence.

Medical expenses form the largest category in most cases. Emergency transport, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, follow-up care, and any treatment tied to the crash are recoverable. When an injury requires ongoing treatment, future medical costs are part of the claim too.

Lost income covers wages missed while recovering. If the injury affects your ability to earn at the same level going forward, that future loss belongs in the claim as well.

Pain and suffering accounts for the physical experience of the injury and the emotional consequences that come with it. Anxiety, depression, disrupted sleep, and the loss of activities that were part of your daily life before the crash are all compensable under California law.

Property damage covers your vehicle and any other property lost in the collision.

When a distracted driver’s choice to watch a video costs someone their life, California’s wrongful death statute gives surviving family members a path to hold that driver accountable.

California’s statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years from the date of the crash. That’s one year shorter than many states. Don’t wait.

How Do You Prove a Driver Was Watching a Video at the Time of the Crash?

Most drivers won’t admit to it. Some genuinely don’t realize how long they were watching before the crash. Neither of those things prevents you from building a strong case.

Phone records show exactly when a device was active, which apps were open, and whether streaming video was playing at the moment of impact. Those records exist and can be obtained through the legal process. Timing matters here because getting to them quickly is far easier than chasing them down after months have passed.

Law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles document crash scenes, and an officer’s observations about cell phone position, driver behavior, and pre-impact vehicle movement become part of the official record. Surveillance cameras at intersections along major LA corridors, business parking lots, and residential streets often capture what happened in the seconds before a collision. Witnesses who saw the phone in the driver’s hand can provide critical testimony.

Some vehicles now include multimedia receivers and infotainment systems that log usage data. Platforms like Android Auto can record when a phone was connected and actively in use during a trip. That data doesn’t disappear automatically, but retrieving it requires prompt legal action.

The evidence window is short. Surveillance footage gets overwritten. Witness memories fade. A personal injury attorney in Los Angeles who moves quickly can preserve what matters before it’s gone.

What to Do After a Distracted Driving Crash in the Los Angeles Area

The decisions made in the first days after a crash often shape the entire trajectory of a claim. These steps matter.

• Call 911. Get a police report on the record and ask whether the responding officer noted any signs of cell phone use by the other driver.
• Get medical attention right away. Some injuries don’t surface immediately. A medical record tied to the crash date protects your claim in ways that a delayed diagnosis cannot.
• Document everything you can. Photographs of the vehicles, the scene, your injuries, and the surrounding area before anything gets moved.
• Collect witness information. Names and contact numbers from anyone who saw the crash.
• Don’t give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company without speaking to an attorney first. Adjusters are not on your side.
• Contact a personal injury attorney in Los Angeles as soon as possible. The other side’s clock is already running.

Frequently Asked Questions About Distracted Driving Claims in California

Can I sue a driver who was watching streaming video when they hit me in California? Yes. Watching streaming video on a handheld cell phone while driving violates California law. When that violation causes a crash and your injuries, it supports a personal injury claim against that driver.

What if the driver says they weren’t on their phone? Phone records don’t depend on what the driver admits. A personal injury attorney in Los Angeles can obtain those records through the legal process and establish exactly what was happening on that device at the time of the crash. Multimedia receivers and connected platforms like Android Auto may also hold relevant usage data.

How long do I have to file a distracted driving injury claim in California? Two years from the crash date under California’s statute of limitations. One year less than many people assume. Start the process early so evidence can be preserved and the claim can be built properly.

What if the insurance company contacts me right away with a settlement offer? Quick offers almost always undervalue what the claim is actually worth. Insurers move fast because they know injured people are stressed and sometimes in immediate financial need. Before accepting anything, speak with our personal injury attorneys in Los Angeles.

Can a family pursue a claim if their loved one was killed by a distracted driver in California? Yes. California’s wrongful death statute allows surviving family members to pursue compensation when a distracted driver’s negligence caused a fatal crash. Driver safety choices have real consequences, and the law provides a path to accountability.

What if I was partially at fault for the crash? California’s comparative fault rule reduces your recovery by your percentage of responsibility rather than eliminating it. A personal injury attorney in Los Angeles can help establish the full picture of what happened and protect your right to fair compensation.

Call Big Joe Law

A driver chose their screen over the road. You’re the one living with the result. Call Big Joe Law today to speak with our personal injury attorneys in Los Angeles and find out what your case is worth.