Distracted Driving Recognized as Serious Safety Threat
The U.S. Transportation Secretary noted that distracted driving, which refers to people driving while talking on their cell phones, text messaging or using other cell phone applications, is becoming more and more of a danger on the roads, according to an article on News4Jax.com. The government reported that almost 6,000 people were killed and approximately 500,000 were injured in traffic accidents related to distracted driving. As expected, young drivers comprise the bulk of the people who are driving while distracted. The article also notes that when semi truck drivers are sending or receiving text messages, their risk of causing a traffic accident goes up 23%. As a result, we can expect new laws making it illegal to drive using some or all cell phone applications.
Driving around Jacksonville, Florida these days, it is no longer surprising to see people driving who are looking at their cell phones rather than the road. It is not a stretch to conclude that if that driver was faced with an emergency situation, such as another car suddenly stopping or slowing, while looking at his/her cell phone, a serious traffic crash is likely to result.
It is not clear from the article how accurate the government's numbers are here. In other words, how did the government determine with certainty which drivers were using their cell phones when the accidents occurred. As personal injury and wrongful death attorneys, we have ways of determining whether the other, at-fault driver was distracted when he/she caused the accident. That is something we investigate in every case. Cell phone records, police investigative records and witness testimony can often determine whether a person was using his/her cell phone right before the crash.
