Negligence and Car Accidents: Distracted Drivers

Distracted drivers are our country's number one road hazard.

2012-03-29

ORLANDO, FL, March 29, 2012 (Press-News.org) Distracted drivers are our country's number one road hazard. About a decade ago, all you ever heard about was drunk drivers and how many lives were lost each year due to drinking and driving. Now cell phones and driving has become arch enemy number one, and many states have enacted laws to punish those who commit the selfish act of texting or talking while driving.

Talking on the phone has become a way of life for millions of Americans. More than 85% of the 100 million plus cell-phone subscribers regularly talk on the phone while driving, according to a survey by Prevention magazine. A 2001 study by the New England Journal of Medicine found that drivers who talk on a cell phone are four times more likely to be in an accident than drivers who don't.

We have all been behind someone in traffic who is driving erratically or too slowly. Then when we pass that driver, we see them texting on their cell phone. In many cases, the result of cell phone use while driving is fatal. However, recent developments in cell phone technology include voice-activated dialing, built-in phones, headsets, and speakerphones and all help drivers concentrate on the roadway.

Since 1995, 40 states have proposed bills concerning cell phone use in cars, but the $40-billion-a-year cell-phone industry has successfully lobbied to keep those laws off the books. The industry claims that not only are cell phones safe to use while driving, the phones help drivers by allowing them to quickly report emergencies such as accidents, stranded drivers, and carjackings. While there is some truth to phones being helpful while driving (using Maps applications and the like), no one can argue that cell phones take drivers' eyes off the road for several seconds at a time, and in high traffic areas, this is literally an accident waiting to happen.

If you live in Orlando or Winter Park, Florida and have been injured in a car accident due to a distracter driver, you may have a valid legal claim, so please visit the website of The Law Offices of Michael V. Barszcz, M.D., J.D. today to schedule a no-cost, confidential consultation to discuss your case.

Website: http://www.TheMDJD.com

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