Texting while Driving Accidents

While we all recognize that texting behind the wheel is incredibly dangerous, many motorists refuse to give up this often-life-threatening practice. Texting has become one of the most common and the most dangerous distractions on our roadways, and it’s often the impetus behind deadly traffic accidents. If a texting driver leaves you or someone you love injured, you need an experienced Forsyth County car accident attorney in your corner.

Texting and the Three Main Types of Distraction

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shares that distractions are classified into three primary categories, including:

• Visual distractions that engage a driver’s eyes – such as reading or writing a text
• Manual distractions that engage a driver’s hands – such as typing out a text
• Cognitive distractions that engage a driver’s thoughts – such as interacting in text form

Texting has the singular distinction of melding all three categories into one extremely dangerous distraction. It’s important to note that hands-free texting does not mitigate the danger of texting behind the wheel. The risk of taking your eyes off the road for the amount of time necessary to simply read a text is astronomical.

Texting Behind the Wheel: The Statistics

The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) shares the following dire statistics related to distracted driving and texting behind the wheel:

• In 2018 alone, 2,841 people lost their lives in accidents that were caused by distracted drivers.
• In 2018, 400,000 people were injured in accidents that were caused by distracted drivers.
• Sending or reading a text requires a driver to take his or her eyes off the road for an average of five seconds (the length of a football field when traveling at highway speeds), which makes it the most terrifying distraction of all.

Motorists are responsible for driving safely in relation to whatever they experience on the road, and taking their eyes off the road for seconds at a time leaves them far less prepared to recognize and safely react to fluctuations in traffic and to changes in the road’s condition.

Driving Safely

The most important element of driving safely is showing up for it. A motorist can’t drive responsibly if he or she doesn’t pay attention to the traffic all around and to the condition of the road ahead. When a motorist chooses to focus on his or her phone instead of focusing on maneuvering safely over the road, that motorist ignores responsibility and puts lives at increased risk.

It’s Time to Consult with an Experienced Georgia Car Accident Attorney

If a texting driver causes you or someone you love to be injured in a traffic accident, the accomplished Cumming personal injury attorneys at Banks, Stubbs & McFarland are committed to crafting your strongest personal injury claim in solid support of your case’s best possible outcome. Our dedicated legal team has the experience, legal insight, and drive to help, so please don’t hesitate to contact us online or call us at 770-887-1209 for more information today.