Texting While Driving Accident
With ongoing public information campaigns, many people are aware of the dangers of texting while driving. Did you also know that texting is more dangerous than driving drunk or while high on marijuana? In a UK study commissioned by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) Foundation, researchers determined that texting slows reaction time by 35 percent, compared to 21 percent for cannabis and 12 percent for alcohol consumption to the legal limit.
Despite public awareness of the dangers of distracted driving and state laws prohibiting texting and driving, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports in a recent publication that more than 100,000 drivers are texting at any given daylight moment in the U.S.
Texting and Driving Accident Statistics
According to New York Department of Motor Vehicle records, 79 traffic crashes, involving 43 personal injuries, were directly attributed to texting while driving in New York alone in 2013. Another 604 accidents with 311 injuries were assigned to hand-held phone use, and other electronic devices were reported as the contributing factor behind 196 accidents and 108 injuries.
If you or a family member has been injured in a car accident caused by a driver who was texting while driving, Binghamton car accident attorney Scott C. Gottlieb can help you pursue justice. We have helped many people throughout New York and recovered tens of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for our injured clients.
What Makes Texting While Driving So Dangerous?
According to NHTSA, any type of driver distraction endangers motorists and bystanders, but texting while driving is an alarming distraction because texting requires three types of attention from the driver: visual, manual, and cognitive. NHTSA states that texting and driving, or engaging in other similar manual-visual subtasks, triples the risk of being involved in an accident.
Drivers have their eyes off the road for an average of 5 seconds at a time while texting, according to NHTSA, which is enough time at 55 mph for the vehicle to travel a distance of 403.33 feet – a greater length than a football field. The agency warns that drivers under the age of 25 are at greatest risk, because they are two to three times more likely than older drivers to send emails or text messages while driving.
As reported by Texting and Driving Safety, 77 percent of young adults have some degree of confidence that they can drive and text safely, and 55 percent claim that it is easy. The fact that teen drivers who text spend 10 percent of their driving time out of their proper lane tends to contradict that confidence. To help educate younger drivers of the dangers of texting and driving, it’s important to communicate openly and honestly with them as explained in the Distracted Driving Guide.
Contact a Texting and Driving Accident Lawyer
If a driver of any age who was texting while driving caused a traffic crash in which you were seriously injured, you may be entitled to a claim for compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, and other losses. New York texting and driving lawyer Scott C. Gottlieb offers a free case consultation. Contact our Binghamton law firm to get started taking action to hold the negligent driver accountable.
Sources:
- RAC Foundation: The Effect of Text Messaging on Driver Behavior
- NHTSA: Blueprint for Ending Distracted Driving
- NYS DMV: 2013 Statewide Statistical Summary
- NHTSA: Distracted Driving
