Texting and driving are risk behaviors exhibited by drivers of all ages in Atlanta and the United States. It amounts to distracted driving, a menace that the CDC says kills about eight people daily in the U.S. Distraction is anything that takes your attention away from the task of driving, and texting sits top of the list.
Unfortunately, though, the evil posed by texting and driving and the effect has not stopped Atlanta motorists from carrying out the act. It also shows that there is a need for more education on the dangers of operating a car and a cell phone simultaneously. To this end, our Atlanta texting and driving lawyers discuss the result of texting and driving. If a distracted driver causes an accident you’re involved in, contact us at The Weinstein Firm immediately.
How Big Is the Problem?
Distracted driving is deadly. It endangers not only the life of the distracted driver but also that of other road users. A driver who drives distracted fails to uphold the duty of care they owe other people on the roadway. Thus, when a driver texts and drives, they breach this duty and commit a civil road.
Texting and driving have become a bigger problem since the introduction of smartphones. According to the U.S Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 9% of fatal crashes in the U.S. in 2019 involved a distracted driver. The agency also notes that between 2012 and 2019, approximately 26,000 plus people died in crashes involving a distracted driver.
Since phone usage played a critical role in these accidents, the agency introduced the “U Drive. U Text. U Pay” campaign. The campaign makes it illegal to text while driving and encourages states to enforce anti-texting laws while reminding drivers of the dangers. In conclusion, rather than texting and driving, the NHTSA recommends the following:
- Pullover to a safe location and park your car first if you must send or receive a text
- If you are traveling with passengers, appoint a “designated texter” to send and respond to all your texts
- Keep your phone in the trunk or somewhere unreachable if you cannot resist the temptation to look at it
What Happens When You Text and Drive?
The problem with distractions is that it takes a person’s attention off the road. Texting and driving are more dangerous than other acts of distraction. This is because it involves the three types of distracted driving: visual, manual, and cognitive. Texting involves looking at the phone screen (visual), using your hands to write the message (manual), and using your brain to compose what to write (cognitive or mental).
While doing this, you can miss critical events happening on the road, like a driver making a turn on the road or the traffic light turning red. You could also miss seeing objects on the roadway or a person or animal who suddenly runs in front of your car. On average, you take your eyes off the road for five seconds while you text.
This reduces your reaction time in the event of an accident. Furthermore, using a cell phone when driving makes you four times more likely to get in an accident. This is even worse among teenagers, as most teen drivers crash when they are either texting, talking, or engaged in other forms of distractions.
So, ultimately, texting while driving would result in a traffic accident. This accident, in turn, could cause injuries and death. Consequently, the distracted driver goes from sending a message to facing both criminal and civil actions. If convicted of a criminal charge, the driver might spend time in jail.
Such conviction would also serve as evidence in a civil action for compensation. Thus, just because a person already got sentenced to jail doesn’t mean they will not compensate the accident victim for their injury and financial losses. So, ultimately, texting while driving has severe consequences, albeit easily avoidable.
Were You Involved in a Texting and Driving Accident? Contact The Weinstein Firm Now!
Proving any act of distracted driving is not easy and requires the expertise of a knowledgeable and experienced Atlanta car accident lawyer. This is what we offer you at The Weinstein Firm. You get a team of legal experts with decades of combined experience at your service by working with us.
We have successfully helped several Atlanta car accident victims win distracted driving cases, and are confident we can do the same for you. Contact us today for a free initial consultation. We work on a contingency fee basis.
