Cell Phone & Texting While Driving Accident Statistics

Texting and talking on the phone while driving are quickly becoming one of the leading causes of car accidents. In fact, the overall category of distracted driving has become the focus of several new laws over the past few years, and it has also increased the workload for auto accident lawyers across the country. Unfortunately, simply resisting the urge to text or talk while you are driving will not ensure that you will avoid a car accident because there are millions of other drivers on the road who are actively participating in this dangerous practice. Texting Statistics HealthyDay conducted a poll in 2011 that indicated that 37 percent of drivers send text messages behind the wheel. Sadly, as the popularity of smartphones continues to increase, this number is expected to get much larger. Texting while driving has been linked to approximately 6,000 annual deaths, and it is also expected to cause 500,000 injuries this year alone. If you are injured by another driver’s negligence, it will be important to contact a car accident attorney to help you with your medical bills, lost wages and vehicle repair or replacement costs. Teenagers are the highest risk category for texting and driving accidents. In fact, studies have proven that teens who are texting will spend at least 10 percent of their driving time drifting out of their lane, and this can lead to disastrous consequences. Therefore, it is important for all drivers to put their cell phone out of reach before they end up dealing with potential criminal charges and a car accident personal injury lawsuit. Cell Phone Usage Statistics Talking on a cell phone is still the major cause of distracted driving accidents. In fact, approximately 25 percent of all traffic accidents are caused by a driver who is talking on the phone. This leads to thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of injuries each year, and all of them could have been avoided by taking a more responsible approach. Studies indicate that drivers who are on the phone are 2.8 times more likely to cause a car accident. Drivers of all ages and experience levels should avoid talking or texting because no one is impervious to the negative impact of becoming distracted. For example, truck drivers who take the time to dial a phone number become almost six times more likely to cause an accident. Additionally, anyone who reads a text or looks down at their phone to answer it will spend close to five seconds with their eyes off of the road, and that is long enough to travel the length of a football field. Dealing with the Insurance Companies Unfortunately, it can be difficult to collect a fair settlement from an insurance company if you are the victim of a distracted driver accident. In fact, many companies will specifically look for ways to avoid offering the proper auto accident compensation, and this can make the entire process even more difficult to deal with. Fortunately, an experienced accident attorney can help you navigate through all of the red tape. By hiring legal representation, you will be able to ensure that your rights are protected, and you will have a much better chance of getting a settlement quickly. Make sure that you hire an attorney who has experience dealing specifically with auto accident settlements to get the best possible results. Additional Legal Considerations An accident injury attorney can help you pursue legal action against the responsible party. After all, the insurance settlement may not be enough to cover all of your medical expenses. Therefore, you should definitely consider filing a car accident personal injury claim to ensure that you will not incur a lot of out-of-pocket expenses for an accident that was caused by someone else’s negligence.