DWI- Driving While Intexticated Focuses on Dangerous Trend

Distracted driving is now the top cause of traffic accidents and continues to be a dangerous trend. April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month though it is not a new topic for our firm articles. If we are waiting for texting/driving crashes to become an epidemic—statistic confirm the problem. Many car manufacturers have launched safety campaigns aimed at reducing texting and driving.  Other safety organizations have resorted to more highly disturbing graphics in efforts to raise awareness and point out the horrific injuries caused by distracted driving car crashes.

Many safety advocates are in fact beginning to equate the choice to text and drive as “irresponsible” as drinking and driving

Common Scenario:

A driver passes you on the street and they are multi-tasking with their smart phone.  The somewhat attentive driver is moving along at 60 mph and moving a 3,000-pound vehicle at nearly 100 feet every second. Sound familiar?  You could be traveling down Highway 40 in St. Louis and see this on a regular basis.  Disaster is just waiting to happen in this scenario. Even though we have all witnessed some kind of ludicrous driving behavior where we saw the person was texting and driving, we still fail to really talk about the serious nature of texting and driving. Many people still joke about it or worse, say they are “good at texting and driving”.  If your eyes are off the road, then you are driving safely and effectively.

DWI- Driving While Intexticated

• In 2011, 23 percent of all auto collisions involved cell phones and that is 1.3 million crashes.
• The minimal amount of time your attention is taken away from the road when you’re texting and driving is 5 seconds.
• If you are traveling 55 mph, you can drive the length of a football field without ever looking at the road.
• 13 percent of drivers aged 18-20 involved in car wrecks admitted to texting or talking on their mobile devices at the time of the crash

Eighty-two percent of American, age 16-17 own a cell phone. Thirty-four percent say they have texted and driving and 52 percent say they have talked on a cell phone while driving.

Young Driver Statistics:

• Seventy-seven percent of young adults polled were very or somewhat confident that they can safely text while driving
• Fifty-five percent of young adult drivers claim it’s easy to text while driving

Experienced Drivers Lead by Poor Example:

• 48 percent of young drivers have seen their parents drive while talking on a cell phone
• 15 percent of young drivers have seen their parents text while driving
• 27 percent of adults have sent or received texts messages while driving
• 48 percent of kids ages 12-17 have been in a car while the driver was texting.
• 1 in 5 drivers of all ages confess to surfing the web while driving

Common Justifications for Texting While Driving:

• Reading a text is safer than composing and sending one
• They hold the phone near the windshield for “better visibility”.
• The increase following distance
• They text only at a stop sign or a red light

It’s All About Choices

In each car crash case we handle, the first thing we recognize is “choice”.  Each day, we make choices.  We can make responsible or irresponsible choices. Choosing to text and drive is a choice. Many municipalities in the greater St. Louis area have banned texting and driving for all drivers and not just drivers under 18.  In Illinois, texting and driving is banned.  If you are involved in a car accident and you are texting, you can and probably will be cited. Car accidents that are a result of texting and driving are NOT “accidents”, rather they are CAR CRASHES. We say “crash” because it a crash due to distracted driving is not a random, freak of nature occurrence when cars collide. A true “accident” is really very rare as there are usually factors/choices that cause vehicle crashes.  If someone chooses to text and drive and the end result is a car crash that hurts someone, that driver has to be held accountable for the choice they made to text and drive thus endangering others. At The Cagle Law Firm, many of our clients are people who have been injured in car accidents.  I personally see the long term effects of these needless car crashes.  A simple car accident such as a “rear-ender” can cause an injury to your back or neck that can be a life-time pain.  Rear-end accidents are one of those kinds of crash that are frequently caused by inattentive driving and many are completely avoidable.

Hurt? Speak with an attorney now 314- 276-1681 or toll free 1-800-685-3302

Summary Article Name DWI- Driving While Intexticated Focuses on Dangerous Trend Author Zane T. Cagle Description Distracted driving, including texting and driving is now the leading cause of motor vehicle accidents. Avoid these preventable crashes.