Distracted Driving Car Accidents

You may truly believe that you aren’t one of those drivers who gets distracted while you drive. And if that’s truly your case, congratulations! You’re in the minority.

The great majority of drivers do get distracted while behind the wheel. They may not do it on purpose, of course.

It may just happen that they receive that important call or text message they have been waiting for and cannot wait to answer. But more than likely, they are in the habit of checking their phones while they’re on the go. Cars are already dangerous enough without adding distractions.

Every day on the nation’s roadways, drivers allow themselves to be diverted from the duty of driving, which results in the tragic occurrence of motor vehicle accidents. This reckless behavior puts the safety of everyone else on the road at risk, including other drivers, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, and even the distracted drivers themselves.

What Activities Cause Distracted Driving Accidents?

The CDC defines three different types of activities that create distracted driving accidents:

Mental or Cognitive

This refers to the act of letting your mind roam freely while driving instead of paying attention to the task at hand and to the road and drivers around you.

Visual

This includes every second you look at something else other than the roadway. billboards, construction activities, people coming and going on the streets, etc.

Manual

This last one may be the most dangerous one since it includes activities such as grabbing your phone, making or answering calls, and, obviously, texting.

Distracted Driver Accident Statistics

Nobody needs convincing that distracted driving is dangerous and it’s not something people should do while behind the wheel. Still, it seems as though many still drive distractedly, as these statistics prove:

  • Over 50% of all road accidents in the United States have cell phones involved.
  • Over 420,000 people are injured every year in crashes that involve a driver who was distracted in some way.
  • In the United States, 25% of car crashes are caused by texting while driving. That’s 1 in every 4 automobile accidents.
  • Every year, more than 330,000 accidents caused by texting while driving result in serious injuries.
  • It takes as little as three seconds after a driver’s mind is taken off the road for a car accident to take place.
  • Reading a text message while driving takes more than three seconds.
  • 11 teenagers lose their lives daily because they were texting while driving.
  • Although over 94% of teenagers claim to understand the consequences of texting and driving, 35% of them admit to doing it, anyway.
  • About 33% of all fatal bike accidents happen because riders have been drinking.

Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer Bucks County

Parents work as role models for their kids. What you probably didn’t know was that the way a parent drives also sets an example for teenagers.

Do you text while driving? Do you drive even if you are so tired you might fall asleep? Do you drink and drive? Studies show that teenagers see the way their parents drive and learn from it, many times following the same patterns of behavior.

At the Law Offices of Eugene Gitman, our car accident attorney is not only committed to educating the public about the dangers of distracted driving; we are also vigilant in our efforts to defend the legal rights of those innocent individuals who are gravely injured in a car accident that was caused by distracted driving through no fault of their own.

If you or a loved one have been involved in a distracted driving accident, a Car Accident Lawyer In Bucks County will offer you the legal help you need for your personal injury case. Please contact us to schedule a free consultation at 215-660-4411, so we can learn about your car accident and advise you on the legal options available.

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