Author: Rosenberg & Gluck, LLP
“Personal Injury is All We Do”
As texting while driving commercials aired during the Olympics, Americans were sadly reminded of tragic deaths. Crashes can occur in a matter of seconds when a driver’s attention fully leaves the road. One girl in a commercial recounted the text her sister had sent her right before she died.
New York has a handheld ban on cell phones along with a texting ban for all drivers. Both bans are primary laws, which mean that law enforcement officers can stop you if they observe you on a handheld phone or texting. With secondary offenses, officers need a primary offense to stop the car (such as speeding, running a light, etc.). Only after stopping for a primary offense can they also ticket for the secondary offense.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) website distraction.gov reports the following facts about distracted driving from 2010:
- 3,092 people died in crashes involving distracted drivers
- An estimated 416,000 people suffered injury in crashes involving distracted drivers
- 18 percent of 2010 injury crashes involved distraction
- The under 20 age group had the greatest percentage of distracted drivers involved in crashes
- 40 percent of U.S. teenagers experienced the driver putting them in danger through cell phone use
- Drivers using hand-held-devices were four times more at risk to get in a crash that injured themselves
Of all driving distractions, texting is the worst because it takes all of the driver’s attention away from the road. Texting demands cognitive, visual, and manual attention all at the same time when sending messages.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or a family member has died in a car accident because the other driver was distracted, find out how a Long Island car accident lawyer can help. Our lawyers at Rosenberg & Gluck, LLP have helped clients receive the compensation they deserve in car accident cases for the past 30 years.