Every time you get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, you take on a life-or-death responsibility. As every student driver is taught, buckle up, keep both hands on the wheel, keep your eyes on the road, and stay focused. The minute a driver loses focus, the driver is distracted driving and the odds of a motor vehicle crash increase. The chances are that the motor vehicle in that crash, weighing upwards of 4,000 pounds, will cause damage and injury, whether to another car or driver or, in the worst-case scenario, to a pedestrian and causing a fatal crash.
Distracted drivers cause thousands of deaths on the roads across the United States every year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that in 2018 alone, 2,800 people in the United States were killed, with 400,000 more injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. Along with that, one in five of the people who died in these fatal crashes were not in motor vehicles – they were pedestrians, cyclists, or others not in a car at all.
Distracted driving is defined as driving while doing another activity that takes your attention away from driving. The four types of distracted driving include:
Driving distractions are nothing new to drivers. However, a driving distraction that Americans are still adjusting to is cell phone usage while driving. A cell phone may be tiny enough to fit in a person’s hand, but the damage a cell phone can cause when used while driving is considerable beyond measure. It is a driving distraction that can encompass all four types of distracted driving listed above at one time.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), sending or reading a text message on a cell phone while driving 55 miles per hour is like going the length of a football field with your eyes closed. When a person sends a text message while driving, the crash risk increases by 2,300 percent.
Distracted drivers are found in all age groups, but certain groups stand out for fatal crashes. In 2018, 25 percent of the distracted drivers involved in crashes were young adults between 20 and 29. However, narrowing it down further, in fatal crashes involving distracted driving, the drivers aged 15 to 19 were more likely to be distracted. In the same year, nine percent of teens who died in motor vehicle accidents were killed in distracted driving crashes.
Age is not the only factor determining who is at the most significant risk of being a distracted driver. As mentioned above, cell phones have drastically changed the landscape. The NHTSA states that one in four car crashes is estimated to involve a mobile device. Further, 70 percent of drivers reported using a cell phone while driving, despite knowing they have an increased risk of causing a crash.
Therefore, drivers of any age using cell phones, whether by sending text messages, checking social media, or participating in video conference calls, are a significant hazard on our roads today.
Around the United States, each state governs its roads. Therefore, the driving rules and state laws vary. Many states have taken steps to help prevent distracted driving, including making state laws prohibiting texting and handheld cell phone use while driving. Still, it is unclear how effective the measures are. Therefore, everyone must stay aware and cautious while driving to help save lives.
Here are some traffic safety reminders to help keep you from distracted driving:
It is everyone’s job to make our roads safer. By understanding the traffic safety facts about distracted driving and following some of these simple tips, you can help eliminate distracted driving crashes from our roadways and save lives.
If you or someone you know has been injured due to a distracted driver, hiring an experienced attorney can make a big difference when it comes to recovering damages for any pain or suffering you have incurred. At The Cochran Firm Texas, we are here to help. Contact us online, via live chat, or call 1-800-THE-FIRM (800-843-3476) for more information or to discuss your possible legal options.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on average, seven teens between the ages of 16 and 19 will die in a fatal car accident every day. When it comes to teenage driving, parents need to remember, teens still need their help.…
Before Texas enacted a law making hitting a pedestrian in a crosswalk a crime, a young mother had to die. In October of 2017, a mom walked with her son to school in Missouri City, Texas. As they navigated a crosswalk, the mother was struck…
Each year, distracted driving is the cause of hundreds of thousands of accidents nationwide. In Texas alone, there were 80,000 car crashes involving distracted drivers in 2020 – drivers who were talking, browsing, or texting on their cell phone, eating, reading, adjusting the radio and…
Distracted driving is a widespread issue across the United States, including Texas. In 2018, almost one in five car accidents in Texas were due to distracted driving, a total of nearly 100,000. Of those accidents, more than 2,300 involved serious injuries, and close to 400…
Driving while distracted is not smart or safe, but you may not realize it can have multiple consequences beyond just getting into a car accident. Of the more than half a million car accidents that occur each year in Texas, approximately 18 percent of them…
Distracted driving is the number one cause of fatal car accidents in the United States. Approximately eight people die every day in highly preventable crashes because drivers focus on something other than the road. Examples of distracted driving include eating or drinking, reading or watching…
While Texas leads the nation in wrong-way driving fatalities, another cause of car accident fatalities is not speeding, as you might guess, but rather distracted driving. In 2020 alone, a staggering 80,000 crashes involved Texas drivers paying attention to something other than the road. Of…
