Injured in an Accident with a Driver Who Was Texting?

Texting While Driving Accident Accident Lawyers serving Oklahoma City, Tulsa and cities throughout Oklahoma

Dangers of Texting

The statistics about the dangers of texting are frightening. A 23-fold increase in car accident risk makes it seem unlikely that anyone would text while driving, but they do. Texting while driving takes your eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, according to research by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. At 55 mph, this is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field while totally blind. A study of teen drivers and texting showed not only that teens who texted while driving had their eyes off the road 400 percent more than non-texting teens, they drifted out of their lanes and had difficulty responding to traffic signs. Most did not reduce their speed when texting.

At least 3000 people a year are killed in fatal car accidents caused by distracted driving. In addition, an estimated 416,000 people suffer injury in accidents caused by distracted driving.

People Don't Understand Dangers

Unfortunately, a recent survey by the NHTSA showed that people don't understand the extent to which they are distracted by texting or other types of cell phone use. For example, 25% of drivers reported that texting made no difference on their driving, and those that did note a difference said that they actually drove slower while texting, something that observed driving on a text track showed was not true. Instead, drivers tended to drift out of their lane, something recognized by only 2% of drivers.

Failure to recognize the dangers of texting and driving increases the likelihood that drivers will cause injury or death by negligent texting.

Your Lawsuit Can Help

People must first be made to understand the dangers of texting and driving. If you have suffered an injury or lost a loved one in a texting and driving accident, pursuing a lawsuit can not only penalize the negligent driver and get you compensation for your injury or loss, it can help publicize the dangers of texting and driving.

For help understanding your legal rights and options after a texting and driving accident, please contact Self & Associatestoday to talk to a personal injury lawyer in Oklahoma City or across Oklahoma.