• 30
  • August
    2011

At any given moment during daylight hours, approximately 672,000 vehicles are being driven on United States roadways by someone who is using a hand-held phone, according to data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This accounts for nearly ten percent of all drivers.

Distracted driving is a factor in about one in five crashes that results in injury. In 2009, distracted driving contributed to crashes that killed 5,747 people and injured 448,000 others.

While any type of distracted driving is dangerous, texting or talking on a cell phone while driving is particularly dangerous because it causes a level of distraction that is more complete than most other activities.

There are three primary types of distraction:

  • Visual: looking away from the road
  • Manual: taking one's hands off the wheel
  • Cognitive: concentrating on something other than driving

Unlike other activities such as daydreaming or talking to passengers, texting or talking on a cell phone while driving is especially dangerous because it involves all three types of distraction.

In fact, studies have shown that using a cell phone while driving - even with a hands-free device - is so distracting that it impairs drivers to the same extent as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent. In other words, a texting driver can be just as dangerous as a drunk driver.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident involving distracted driving, please contact an experienced personal injury attorney who can advise you of your options