Distracted driving, particularly the use of cell phones, has become an epidemic throughout the United States. Most people tend to think that teenagers are the main culprits of this dangerous behavior; however, results from a new survey found by our personal injury lawyers in Ardmore, PA, might come as a shock to you. The number of adults that are texting while driving has skyrocketed.
AT&T started a campaign about three years ago called “It Can Wait” that encourages all drivers to resist the urge to text while driving. To date 1.3 million people joined the campaign by pledging to not text and drive. The goal of their campaign is to raise the awareness of the dangers of texting while driving and to hopefully change driving behaviors nationwide.
As a part of this campaign, AT&T conducted a recent survey of 1,011 adult drivers that has produced some startling figures that reveal just how widespread the issue of distracted driving is and indicates that adults are amongst the biggest offenders. While 98 percent of the adult participants confessed that they know texting or using their handheld device is an unsafe driving behavior, 49 percent of them admitted that they text while driving. In comparison, only 43 percent of the teenage drivers surveyed admitted to doing the same. When the adults were questioned about whether they were engaging in the behavior of texting while driving three years ago, a whopping 60 percent said they were not texting while driving at that time. This is quite concerning as it shows just how prevalent this dangerous behavior has become in such a small amount of time.
Fatal Distracted Driving Auto Accidents are on the Rise
Texting while driving is considered the most dangerous distraction when behind the wheel of a vehicle due to the fact that this behavior requires a driver to use their hands, eyes and mind while completing the task. On average, when texting a driver’s eyes are diverted from the road for 4.6 seconds according to researchers from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. In this amount of time, one could travel the length of an entire football field at a speed of 55mph. Individuals who engage in the practice of texting while driving are subjected to an accident risk of 23 times greater than those who drive undistracted.
It is important to understand that texting while driving is not the only distracted driving behavior that can cause an auto accident. Some of the other more common distractions that can contribute to automobile crashes are changing radio stations, eating, drinking, using a map or navigation system, grooming and even just talking to other passengers in the car. Our personal injury lawyers in Ardmore, PA, understand that these driver distractions pose a great risk of injury or death for the driver, their passengers, pedestrians and passengers in other vehicles.
More Statistics about Distracted Driving
The Centers for Disease Control reports that more than 9 people are killed on average each day from an auto accident caused by distracted driving with an additional 1,060 people injured. In addition, figures from the Department of Transportation show that the fatalities from these types of car crashes have been increasing. There were 3,267 people killed in a distracted driving accident in 2010 and 3,331 people killed in the following year of 2011.
Due to these potential catastrophic risks, there has been a national campaign against these dangerous behaviors to reduce the number of distracted driving automobile accidents. Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia have all imposed a ban on texting while driving for all drivers in their states. There are an additional 5 states that have placed a ban on texting while driving for new drivers only.
Silver & Silver Dedicated Personal Injury Lawyers in Ardmore, PA, Can Help Victims of Distracted Drivers Injured in Auto Accidents
If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident that was caused by distracted driving or any other type of driver negligence, we encourage you to call the personal injury attorneys in Ardmore, PA, at the law firm of Silver & Silver to discuss your right to compensation for your injuries. Our car accident lawyers are skilled, knowledgeable litigators, experienced in handling all types of auto accident claims. Our legal team is dedicated to helping the innocent adults and children that are tragically injured or killed in automobile accidents as a result of distracted driving and other driver negligence. We have succeeded in achieving outstanding results for our clients.
The law offices of Silver & Silver are conveniently located in Ardmore, Pennsylvania and we serve clients throughout the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Main Line regions as well as the communities in Southern New Jersey. Call us today at 1-800-94SILVER (1-800-947-4583) to schedule an appointment for a free consultation with one of our experienced personal injury lawyers or submit a free online inquiry.