With the increased proliferation of cell phones in our country, texting and driving are becoming a bigger problem. In California, texting while driving is against the law. It is strictly prohibited to use a cell phone or other handheld electronic device while driving. Texting while driving is also one of the most dangerous things you can do while behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.
Tragically, many avoidable catastrophic injuries and fatalities happen in texting and driving crashes each year. Here, our Los Angeles car accidents attorneys provide an overview of some of the most notable texting and driving statistics.
Four alarming texting and driving statistics
- 400,000 people are injured in distracted driving crashes each year
Distracted driving is dangerous driving. According to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) data, approximately 400,000 people are injured in distracted driving accidents annually. The FCC emphasizes that texting and driving is the single most risky type of distracted driving. Tens of thousands of people are seriously injured in texting and driving crashes each year.
- Visual-manual distractions increase accident risk by 300%
To send or read a text message, drivers must take their eyes, focus, and hands off the task at hand. As explained by Go Safely California, texting while driving is known as a visual-manual distraction. In effect, this means that it is distracting the driver in multiple ways, including as a:
- Manual distraction
- Visual distraction
- Cognitive distraction
Each time you take a glance at your phone for a text message shows a 300 percent greater chance of an accident.
- Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for an average of 5 seconds
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that it takes the average person five seconds to read or send a text message. If your vehicle is traveling at 55 miles per hour (MPH), then you will go the entire length of a football field in those five seconds.
That is a lot of time for something to go wrong. Drivers must keep their attention on the road.
- More than 1 in 3 teens admit to texting and driving
In recent years, strong public safety and public awareness campaigns focused on the dangers of texting and driving. Significant progress has been made. More than 95 percent of people agree that texting and driving are too dangerous.
At the same time, far too many drivers still do it. The AAA reports that more than one-third (35 percent) of teenagers admit to sometimes texting while behind the wheel of a car.
Call our Los Angeles distracted driving accident lawyers today
At El Dabe Ritter Trial Lawyers, our Los Angeles car crash attorneys have extensive experience handling the full range of distracted driving accident claims, including texting and driving collisions. You must take action quickly to preserve cell phone data.
Cell phones frequently track speed and location coordinates which can be crucial evidence in proving your claim. With proper data extraction, even deleted cell phone text messages can be recovered to prove that a driver was texting and driving
If a distracted driver injured you or your loved one, we are here to help. From our office in Los Angeles, we fight for the rights of car accident victims throughout the region, including Anaheim, Long Beach, Compton, and Inglewood. Contact us now for a free review of your case.