Drivers in Wisconsin may want to know what the Travelers Institute, the public policy division of a leading property casualty insurance provider, has to say about accidents during the summer. It appears that distracted driving becomes especially prevalent during the summer months. To raise awareness of this issue, Travelers held an Every Second Matters event on Capitol Hill on June 15.

The institute brought attention to the result of a recent TrueMotion study. For the study, researchers used sensor data from a distracted driving mobile app called TrueMotion Family to analyze the behavior of over 20,000 drivers. The data was culled from 8.4 million trips taken between January 2017 and May 2018. Researchers found that drivers were distracted more by their smartphones during the months of June, July and August than in any other month.

Those same three months see an average 29 percent increase in road deaths across the U.S. when compared to the months of December, January and February. This is according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Drivers travel an average of 20 percent more miles during the summer months too.

Every Second Matters is meant to be a conversation starter on the topic of distracted driving. Travelers issued a report at around the same time to explore recent trends and provide safe driving tips.

When drivers become distracted and cause motor vehicle accidents, they can be held liable for their negligent and unsafe behavior. Victims may contribute partly to the accident as well, such as by failing to wear a seat belt, but this won’t normally make a claim void. It may take a lawyer to estimate a fair settlement and negotiate for it, so victims might consider a case evaluation. Personal injury lawyers may bring in third-party experts to gather the necessary proof against the defendant.