Texting and Driving
Accident Law Group
Every year on roads across the world, 1,300,000 people lose their lives in road accidents. This means that an astounding 3,000 people die every day due to collisions on our roadways. In one tiny second of taking eyes off the road, a pedestrian or another driver could be seriously injured or killed when a driver takes their eyes from the road.
Today we live in a time of modern technology, which means that our use of cell phones is increasing. This is why it is no surprise that texting and driving is becoming a sort of epidemic in the United States, where people are injured and killed every day as a result. You may be surprised to find that 64% of all road accidents in the U.S. involve a cell phone in some capacity. With distracted driving increasing and drivers becoming distracted in a variety of ways, we see an increase in accidents involving cell phones, which could be prevented if people obey the laws and put the phone down. 40 states including D.C. now expressly forbid people from texting while they are driving.
Why Texting and Driving is so Dangerous
Texting and driving is especially dangerous in three ways, including:
Visually: Taking your eyes from the road
Manually: Taking your hands from the wheel
Cognitively: Taking your focus away from driving
Did you know that, within 5 seconds of texting, you could have driven the length of an entire football field if you are traveling at 55 mph? Just imagine if you’re driving any faster than that and sending a long message – anything could happen. When engaging in a conversation, many people forget that they are sharing the roads with other people, which is where this special type of neglect comes into play. Those who text and drive in states where it is illegal can face many penalties, such as hefty fines, license suspension, a rise in insurance rates, and even prison time depending on the circumstances. As you can see, many states take this very seriously.
If You Have Been Injured
When it comes to texting and driving accidents, those who do so could not only face penalties from law enforcement but could also give a better indication to insurance companies that they are actually at fault for an accident. If a driver has violated one of these texting and driving laws, then they will take on most or all responsibility for the accident. Distracted driving is negligence by another party and, if you have been injured, you will be able to receive damages from a negligent party to pay for things like medical expenses and future treatment, lost wages from missing work, and even pain and suffering associated with your accident.
If you suspect that a driver was texting at the time of your accident, a full investigation should be launched. A copy of the police report can sometimes be obtained, which could contain important information about the at-fault party and help you make your claim against another party with the right evidence to move forward.
Have you been injured in an accident that involved texting and driving? Perhaps you want to gain compensation to pay for your injuries, future medical costs, pain and suffering both physically and emotionally, and more. At the Accident Law Group, we can help you every step of the way as we help you understand the laws in your case and how to hold a party liable.
602-262-4254
Accident Law Group
Call us for more information at 602-262-4254.
Sources:
https://www.icebike.org/texting-and-driving/
https://www.dmv.org/distracted-driving/texting-and-driving.php
https://accident-law.freeadvice.com/accident-law/auto/textingwhiledriving.htm
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