TEXAS CAMPAIGN AIMS AT DISTRACTED DRIVING
April 14, 2017
While motor vehicles are important to society and heavily relied on to get individuals to and from their destinations, automobiles come with them much responsibility and several risks. If a driver fails to uphold their duty to drive safely and is distracted, he or she could cause a serious collision. The legal process protects victims of distracted driving-related car accidents when a distracted driver harms them.
A recent bus crash in Texas highlights the dangers of distracted driving. A total of 13 victims were killed when a driver, believed to be texting while driving, crashed into the church bus. The Texas Department of Transportation reports that one in five car accidents is caused by distracted driving. The Texas Department of Transportation recently began a new campaign entitled “Talk, Text, Crash.”
The timing of the new campaign and the tragic accident comes during National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, which is throughout the month of April. Talking on the phone, texting or accessing social media while driving removes the attention of drivers from the roadways and place those sharing the roadways at risk. During 2016, there were a total of 108,962 distracted driving accidents in Texas, which was an increase of 3 percent from 2015. The distracted driving accidents resulted in 452 victims killed and 3,068 victims injured.
Texting is a particularly dangerous form of distracted driving, as reactions times double while drivers are reading or sending text messages. Drivers who are texting while traveling at 55 mph lose sight of the roadway for approximately 5 seconds, which is the length of a football field or the length of time they are traveling with their eyes, attention and focus removed from the roadway. Adjusting the radio, operating a navigation system and eating or grooming while driving may be less prominent forms of distracted driving but can be equally dangerous forms of distracted driving and are also fairly common.
When the victim of a distracted driver who has failed to care for the safety of others on the roadways suffers physical, financial and emotional damages personal injury legal options are available to protect victims.
Source: Distracted Driver, “Texas Officials’ ‘Talk, Text, Crash’ Campaign Warns Of Distracted Driving Perils,” Tony Cantu, April 1, 2017
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