Texting drivers get car accident wakeup call
Maybe you recall seeing drivers education footage showing what not to do behind the wheel. Often such lessons start as fun, with a clownish actor frantically shaving, eating, consulting maps and even reading a book while doing a lousy job of driving a car. But even with a sobering punchline about car accidents, the real joke is on all of us, now that texting while driving has entered the equation.
A recent survey for Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. reveals that 19 per cent of motorists admit to texting while driving. The real amount is probably higher, since not everyone will admit doing something so stupid. In fact, another survey in Massachusetts indicates that 28 per cent of people text while driving.
Either way, such behavior, in effect, is unleashing millions more drunk drivers on America’s roads. That’s because text-messaging distractions, as studies show, are the equivalent of being drunk while driving, hampering attention, reaction and overall ability to drive.
Californians had had enough of that, so the state passed a law taking effect Jan. 1, 2009, making it illegal to send, receive or read text messages while driving. California thus joins Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Washington and Alaska as states outlawing texting while driving.
Such laws won’t change the world, but they are a step in the right direction. California also has had laws in effect since last July requiring drivers who use cell phones to have hands-free headsets and prohibiting drivers under 18 from using any type of electronic communication while driving.
Meanwhile, thousands of Americans are suffering injury and death due to distracted drivers who decide that making routine calls or texts while en route are worth the risk of a life-shattering traffic accident.
If you or a loved one has suffered harm due to such a distracted driver, contact a car accident lawyer with Jim S. Adler & Associates for help. The long-established Texas personal injury law firm has a history of standing up for individuals who have endured loss due to others’ negligence or recklessness.
Call toll-free today at 1-800-505-1414 to speak to a legal representative, or fill out the free case review form on this Internet page. Either way, an Adler cell phone lawyer can help steer you toward a just and fair financial recovery.
Texting and driving may remain legal in Texas and other states, but negligent or reckless driving which causes harm to others is still against the law, and if such driving has victimized you, let a car accident lawyer for Jim Adler, “the Texas Hammer,” come to your rescue.
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[...] — an epidemic which eventually will spread to other aspects of life, as when young people text while driving a car and end up killing themselves or someone [...]