If you or someone you are close to has been in an accident with someone who was texting while driving, you may be in need of a top texting while driving accident attorney who knows the laws specific to Maryland, Virginia and or Washington DC.
While cell phone use while driving laws differ from state to state, most states have laws against texting and driving, and prohibit the use of electronic devices for teenage and beginning drivers. Some states prohibit the use of a hand-held cellphone and a driver may be ticketed if they are not hands-free when they are talking while driving. As of 2014, no state had completely banned the use of personal electronic devices. If you are unsure of the laws in your state, one way you can start finding out about them is by contacting a top rated texting while driving accident attorney who knows and understands these laws.
Distracted Driving Statistics
The proliferation of cell phone use in the past decade has leant itself to incidents of distracted driving throughout the United States. A report released by the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine in 2014, cites that annually:
- 3,300+ people are killed as the result of distracted driving accidents
- Approximately 400,000 people are injured in distracted driving accidents
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, distracted driving is one of the main causes of preventable auto accidents.
Federal and state governments have created policies and passed laws in response to this public safety problem. A look at the statistics above indicates a need for a more comprehensive and effective approach to this damaging behavior by drivers.
A good texting while driving accident attorney, like Cohen & Cohen P.C. may be able to help you to determine if you might be entitled to compensation for an accident that involved a driver who was distracted by texting.
Cell Phone Statistics
If you have been in an accident that you think was caused by someone’s distracted driving because of their cell phone use, you may be entitled to compensation. You may be able to understand whether your particular situation warrants a legal case when you talk to a reputable texting while driving accident attorney who knows the laws of your state.
Cell phone use and texting while driving statistics, include but are not limited to:
- More than 153 billion texts messages are sent in the United States per month
- Many of these texts are ones sent by drivers of motor vehicles
- Approximately 660,000 drivers across the country are using cellphones during daylight hours on any given day
- There is no indication that this use is on the decline
- Drivers take their eyes off of the road for an average of five seconds to send or read a text
- If a driver is traveling at 55 mph, five seconds is how long it would take to cover the length of a football field. Imagine doing that while blindfolded!
- Approximately 25 percent of teen drivers say that they text while driving
- About 20 percent of teen drivers admit that they have had multi-message text “conversations” while driving. That’s a lot of football fields to be covering while “blind” driving!
- About ten percent of adult drivers admit to texting while driving
If you have been in an accident with one of the many people who uses their cell phone while driving, you may be in need of an experienced texting while driving accident attorney Washington DC to help you decide whether or not you have a right to seek compensation.
