State Farm survey confirms distracted driving still a growing problem

March 07, 2013

A recent survey performed by insurance giant State Farm shows that drivers - especially ones between the ages of 18 and 29 - are simply not getting the message that distracted driving causes accidents. Forty-eight percent of drivers in that key demographic admitted to sending text messages, reading text messages, talking on a cell phone or accessing the internet while behind the wheel.

The survey's scope may be limited, only focusing on 1000 drivers, but it is sadly demonstrative of society as a whole when car accident statistics are examined. Data compiled by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that there were nearly 400,000 distracted driving-related accidents in 2011 (the most recent year for which the data was available), and more than 3,300 of those resulted in fatalities. Experts now estimate that between 20 and 25 percent of all accidents on America's roads involve at least one distracted driver.

"Old school" meets "high tech"

Though distracted driving is getting more and more attention these days, it has been a problem for decades. The phrase "distracted driving" may evoke thoughts of cell phones or text messages, but the truth is that nearly anything can be distracting enough to a driver to pull his or her attention off the road, including:
- Eating
- Drinking
- Changing music on the radio, a CD or an mp3 player
- Talking on a cell phone, particularly if the phone is hand-held
- Having a boisterous discussion with passengers
- Reading
- Looking at a map or GPS navigation system
- Grooming
- Retrieving something from the back seat or floor
- Texting
- Surfing the internet or checking social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter

Some perspective

A landmark Virginia Tech Transportation Institute research study recently found that texting is a particularly serious distraction, noting that those who send or read texts behind the wheel are 23 times more likely to be involved in an accident than a driver who is attentive.

Furthermore, sending an outgoing text or looking down to read an incoming one pulls the driver's focus off the road ahead for a full 4.6 seconds. That may sound like an amazingly brief time, but when a car is traveling at 55 mph, it can travel the length of a football field - 300 feet - in that time, plenty of distance in which to collide with other vehicles on the road and cause an accident resulting in serious injuries.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motor vehicle accident, there is a significant chance a distracted driver was involved. Whether the other driver was distracted or was careless for some other reason, you have a right to seek compensation. In addition to lost wages, medical bills, property damage, and out-of-pocket expenses, you are entitled to claim for pain, suffering, inability to enjoy your hobbies and time with your family, and for any change in the quality of your life caused by your injuries. To learn more about your legal remedies, contact an experienced personal injury attorney in your area today.

Article provided by Ellis Law, P.C.
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