Distracted Driving, a Major Source of Injury and Death

August 01, 2012 (Press-News.org) Like other places in Georgia car accidents caused by cellphone use behind the wheel is an issue in Macon and Bibb County. Distracted driving kills more than 5,000 people per year across the United States according to a new study by The CQ Reporter. In 2009 alone over 5,400 people were killed and 448,000 people were injured by distracted drivers. Teen drivers have an even higher risk of accident when they practice distracted driving activities. In fact, 16 percent of distracted driving deaths involve teen drivers, and a significant number of those deaths are caused by cell phone use behind the wheel.

Texting and Driving

A person who is texting and driving is 23 times more likely to get into a car crash than a driver who does not. Texting and driving slows a driver's reaction time and can inhibit a driver's range of motion. Reaction time is crucial when one second can change a person's life.

When people text and drive, they believe looking away from the road for a few seconds is inconsequential. However, a driver traveling 55 miles per hour drives the length of a football field in 4.6 seconds. With over a quarter of drivers ages 18 to 29 claiming to text and drive on a regular basis, or at least often, the consequences are clear.

Other Cell Phone Use and Driving

Placing a phone call is a form of distracted driving as well. Dialing a number on a cell phone causes a driver to be 2.8 times more likely to crash than a driver that remains attuned to the road. In the United States, 25 percent of drivers say that they talk on their phone regularly or fairly often while they drive. Even though the eyes of drivers remain on the road, conversations on handheld phones also pose a large risk to other drivers and passengers because the activity takes away from the driver's focus on driving.

Cell Phones are Not the Only Distraction

There are many other forms of distracted driving besides cell phone use. Distracted driving also includes eating, using GPS, reading the newspaper or engaging in personal grooming. All of these activities are harmful to not only the person performing them, but everyone on the road.

People who have been injured by a distracted driver may be entitled to relief. Legal remedies are available to those injured in distracted driving accidents, and a personal injury attorney can help car accident victims hold negligent drivers responsible for their actions.

Article provided by Clark & Smith Law Firm LLC
Visit us at http://www.clarksmithlaw.com