Text Messaging While Driving is a Dangerous Distraction
We’ve all been stuck behind those drivers who are all over the road. You see cars swerving, driving slower than they should ad other unpredictable driving patterns. It once was you’d only see this type of driving from drunk drivers. However, these dangerous driving patterns characteristics of a new type of distracted driving: texting.
A Colorado car accident attorney will be familiar with recent studies showing that drivers take their eyes off the road for close to five seconds when texting. This same study also discovered that texting while driving is more dangerous than driving under the influence of alcohol. We become so absorbed in a text message that our ability to concentrate on the road is significantly impaired.
Drivers distracted from sending or receiving texts often end up in accidents. Being involved in car accidents due to drivers distracted from texting is unfortunately becoming a very common claim for a Colorado car accident lawyer or local injury attorney. An increasing number of these accidents are being blamed on individuals who forgot about their driving responsibilities because they chose to read or send a text message. Doesn’t seem fair for the victim of this type of accident, does it?
Knowing all these facts then it should go without saying, texting while driving is a lethal combination to everyone on the road. It is so dangerous that texting while driving has been outlawed in 18 states and Washington, D.C. Countless other states and local governments have taken the matter into their own hands and passed their own laws banning the act.
Victims of car accidents caused by driving while texting should consult a Colorado personal injury lawyer immediately to discuss the details of the crash and determine if they have a viable claim for compensation. A Colorado car accident lawyer can help victims make a smart decision about moving forward with a personal injury lawsuit so that you can be compensated for your losses and medical bills.
The risk, frequency and duration of text messaging makes it an activity more likely to lead to a dangerous crash or near crash than most other activities people do while driving.
Driving while texting is as serious an offense as drunk driving.
If cellphone use and text messaging while driving may not be against the law in your state, their use can be the basis of a negligence claim if they cause a vehicle accident.
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Text Messaging on the Phone While Driving
At that time, cell phones had just come out and had begun to replace the already archaic ‘beepers’ which had followed us around in high school. All the more reason to coax my father into purchasing a cell phone for me was the fact that this would be the first time I was ever away for an extended period of time from either or my parents. Not only this, but I was soon to be a lone, female traveling in my tiny car by myself for more than five hundred miles to a state that I had only been to twice.
With my cell phone in hand, I embarked on my journey, calling my parents whenever I reached a stopping point. Cut to only several years later, and now I have a Blackberry smart phone (which I originally didn’t even want), courtesy of my mother working for Verizon. Not only is it a phone, but you can text, send and receive emails and surf the Internet all in one device. Did I mention that it also takes pictures? Needless to say, it is certainly distracting enough when I’m not behind the wheel of a car! And like so many other people, I was also guilty of texting while driving until I had a close call with a curb one night. That’s all that it took for me to put the phone down. Now, whenever I go somewhere, I bring my phone with me, but I turn it off or I turn it to silent OR I have even gone so far as to store it in the trunk of my car so that I don’t think about it or am tempted to check it for messages.
Texting while driving is incredibly dangerous and has only gotten worse since more and more people now own cell phones. It has actually gotten to the point where many states around the country are now forcing police officers to issue citations to those who violate the rule that prohibits them from using their cell phones. When driving, you need to make sure that you are paying attention to your surroundings, and this is something that you cannot effectively do when you are leaning over your phone texting a message back to your friends. In just the split second that your head is down and you are sending a message to someone, that is all the time that it takes for you to become involved in a fatal car crash. Take, for instance, the people who foolishly use their phones to send texts or emails while they are driving upwards of seventy miles per hour on a major interstate. Who’s to say that they won’t become engrossed in the sending of that message that it will cause them to over correct their steering, thus causing their vehicle to flip over? It’s happened before.
There is a SAFER way to text using the POWER of your Voice!
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New Dangers on The Road : Texting at 55mpg
For all age groups, the increasingly leading cause of car accidents is driving while texting. The advancement in communications has come with a over sized price in terms of increased risk of being in an accident. Although mobile phones are now a common sight as we drive to our destinations, must we suffer the consequences of this new technology?
As most drivers know, keeping your eyes on the road is a basic rule of driving. Ignore this one rule for a fraction of a second and you could find yourself on the verge of a car accident almost instantaneously. That new text or calendar reminder isn’t as important as the safety of you and other drivers. The attention being given to the phone should instead be on the road 100% of the time.
There are those who scoff at this precautionary advice and instead claim that they can send text messages without the need of looking at their mobile phones. Incredibly, some drivers MAY be able to indeed text without looking at the phone, but it is an undeniable fact that their brain is still involved in the process of pressing keys, numbers and hitting the Send button.
At the top of the list for mobile phone use when driving are teenagers. This certainly isn’t a shocking statistic, since they are also the group that most easily adapts to new technology. And at the other end of the age spectrum, older drivers are the least likely group to use mobile phones while operating a motor vehicle. Younger drivers just don’t have the driving experience to tell them that what they are doing is highly risky and dangerous. Although they may know that it is wrong, many of them will not wait to read a text message the instant their phone beeps.
Experts suggest that the parents should be “enforcers” of mobile phone use with their young and as such, are expected to instill proper road discipline to their children. Lecturing and simply speaking to your teen may not be enough though, so think about instituting consequences for breaking the “no texting while driving” rule. Extra chores, loss of phone use, loss of driving privileges even allowance deductions are all possible consequences. Children need to be taught the right thing, and if an adult does not follow the no-texting-while-driving rule, then their children will not be taught the simple and important rule either.
If you text while driving, you are 23 times more prone to car accidents than people who wait until they are at their destination or USE THERE VOICE to text. Virginia Tech Transportation Institute conducted a study to determine how long do drivers look or peak into their mobile phones while driving. The study concluded that drivers glance at their mobile phones very often while driving, as much as every 4 to 5 seconds. Obviously, this is more than ample time for an accident to take place. In fact, a crash can happen in only a second or two. There are multiple studies that show much the same data and arrive at the very same conclusions. And, as with other driving distractions such as reading a book and driving, this one is easy to fix. Setting the phone to silent and then checking messages only after you arrive at your destination safely is a great idea to stay safe. For those drivers who cannot resist checking the mobile phone even while on mute, putting the phone in the trunk of the car is a sure way to eliminate the temptation.
Laws Regarding Texting and Driving
Only a handful of states have laws in force to restrict the use of cell phones while driving; but others have acted fast to mandate the use of a hands-free device when you want to speak and drive at the same time. Legally, most states have simply not caught up to the necessity of cell phone driving legislation, but there are bills pending before various legislatures and more are expected to pass in the next several years.
Many people remember the beginnings of the “Don’t Drink and Drive” movement in the 1980′s. After this movement it was no longer acceptable to have “just one last drink” before leaving a party. In the last three decades, there has been a culture shift once people realized the extent of the dangers of driving drunk, and with the help of legislation and new laws, driving drunk has become not only illegal, but a stigma that most people would not want to be associated with. Driving while texting can go down the same road as drinking and driving; we just need more people to realize how dangerous this is and to begin using the power of there voice to do the work for them.
In Closing, for only $9.95, there is an AMAZING Technology available that can save lives and minimize the distraction of using your hands.
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Jul 10
30
Driving While Distracted
Driving While Distracted
There are many hidden dangers in driving. However, one of the worst things that causes more and more people to become involved in auto accidents is being distracted while they are driving. For some, driving while distracted really isn’t an issue because they are excellent at ignoring certain things that would drive other people crazy. However, driving while distracted is increasingly becoming a problem, in part because of the fact that there are so many electronic gadgets and gizmos out there now that cause people to focus more on them versus their actual driving.
To cite one example, my boyfriend has a global positioning system (GPS) device that is portable and which he often uses while he is driving because of his horrible sense of direction. While it is a neat device, it is a device that is incredibly distracting. For instance, once, while driving, he decided to put in the address to a place that we wanted to go to but didn’t know how to get to. While he was inputting the information, he almost missed a light and got into an accident. I have found that one of the key problems with GPS devices is that people need to input the information into their device BEFORE they actually start driving. If, while driving, you realize that you put in the wrong address or you want to change something on the device, pull your car over to the side of the road and play with it then. Don’t do this while driving because it is inherently dangerous!
Another form of distraction is talking or texting while on your cell phone. It is hard to believe that I can still remember a time where we actually had rotary phones in my house and in my friends’ houses. Then we quickly progressed to touch tone phones and then to cordless phones and then out of the payphone era into an era of car phones and cell phones. I can’t even remember the last time I saw a pay phone! I digress. In any case, talking while texting is quickly becoming one of the other top reasons why people become involved in motor vehicle accidents. Contrary to popular belief, talking on a cell phone is far more distracting and quite different than talking to an actual person who is sitting in your car. Because you need at least one hand to talk on your cell phone, your ability to maneuver your vehicle is limited. Additionally, because reception isn’t guaranteed, people will often be more focused on trying to hear what the other person has said versus actually focusing on their own driving.
Today, there are numerous states that have implemented a no-talking on the cell phone/no texting while driving. In the state of New York, people aren’t allowed to use their cell phones for texting at all while driving, and if they do use their cell phones for talking, they have to make sure that it is a hands-free situation.
Use Your Voice. Save Livesâ¢
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Jul 10
19
Statistics On Texting
Statistics On Texting
There is DWI – driving while intoxicated and DWT – driving while texting. Both are extremely dangerous and there are statistics that say teens are to blame the most for the ladder. In fact 46% of teens text while driving and can be a parents nightmare if something happens to their child and to the victim if an accident occurs. This is not the best statistics on texting people want to know about or have their children a part of.
Although you can make an argument a person can operate a vehicle safely while talking on the phone but preferably with a head piece. But in no case can you argue that you can take your eyes off the road trying to send a text message. Texting just like alcohol does not go hand in hand with driving and operating a vehicle.
There are many statistics on texting that are interesting to discuss. Recruiting in college sports in super competitive with convincing student athletes to attend a school. Coaches and recruiters have until recently utilized texting to communicate with their prospects since there were limits to phone conversations. They utilized texting as a way to get around that but that is now banned as well. One prospect who planned on attending the University of Florida would get over 100 text messages a day from competing coaches. He commented and said that he had to empty his inbox twice a day to allow for additional texts.
More statistics on texting – Almost 70% of American users send at least 1 text message every single day. Verizon is the first American carrier to report the average SMS text messages sent by its subscriber base has passed 1 SMS sent per phone subscriber per day. And when was the 1 text per subscriber level reached by the UK? Four years ago (of course. The pattern holds in lock-step)
And how big will these statistics on texting become in America? We’ve just seen Irish numbers by the Irish telecoms regulator say that they average 5 SMS sent per day across the whole subscriber base. UK reports 6. South Korea reports 10. Singapore reports 12 SMS text messages and the Philippines report 15 SMS text messages sent per day on average across the total subscriber base.
There is NO age limit to SMS. Most grandparents learn to send text messages by connecting with their grandkids – back in 2005 M:Metrics reported that 14% of Americans over age 65 sent text messages (I don’t have more current numbers). Bearing in mind that back then 39% of Americans age 65 and above had a cellphone, that means over two YEARS ago 36% of American senior citizens who owned a cellphone, were already active users of SMS text messaging.
There is not enough room to report on all the statistics on texting but this is a start. How about something totally different on texting? A brand new service and application is being offered that combines chat and texting with your favorite social networks like Facebook, Twitter. This application is totally voice activated!
That message is sent to your i Phone/cell phone in real time and allows you to respond and start a live conversation. The best thing they offer a business opportunity that pays you for referrals. With over 145 Million profiles on Facebook alone this is sure to be a significant income generator for thousands of people all the while using a really cool application that is totally voice activated therefore, MUCH SAFER to use while driving!
Get more information at: http://TelecomSlayer.com
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Semi-Truck Accidents Lead to National Texting Ban
Semi-truck drivers and large trucking companies are warned to take more precautions while driving. Recent studies demonstrate that approximately 100,000 individuals are severely injured as a result of large trucking accidents each year. Because of their sheer size and force, large commercial trucks that are in accidents tend to result in fatalities.
Although commercial trucks make up a mere 3% of all motor vehicle registrations, they make up 12% of all annual traffic fatalities.
In an attempt to make the roadways more safe, federal and state governments have enacted laws and safety regulations requiring trucking companies and their drivers to take certain precautions to avoid distracted driving and fatigue,the two leading causes of large truck accidents.
According to the USDOT, distracted driving comes in 3 types: Visual- taking eyes off the road; Manual- taking hands off the wheel; and Cognitive- taking mind off of activity. Texting by truck drivers is so inherently dangerous because it combines all 3 types of distractions.
Research from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration demonstrates that drivers who text while driving take their eyes off the road an average of 5 out of every 6 seconds. At 55 miles per hour, this means that the truck would travel the length of a football field without the driver ever looking at the road. Research also demonstrates that truck drivers are 20X more likely to be involved in an accident if they are texting on their cell phone.
Included on the 2009 National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements was a ban on commercial truck driver texting. The NTSB requested that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration prohibit cell phone use by large commercial truck and bus drivers.
In January 2010, the Department of Transportation enacted an interim cell phone use ban on commercial truck and bus drivers. The USDOT announced on March 31, 2010 that its interim ban on truck driver texting was to become permanent. The ban applies to drivers of interstate commercial trucks and buses over 10,000 pounds. If a truck driver is caught texting while driving, he will now face up to ,750 in fines. If the truck driver was indeed texting while driving and caused an accident, punitive damages must be awarded in order to send a clear message that texting while driving a large truck is inherently dangerous and will not be tolerated.
Website for a much safer way to text & Post to Twitter and Facebook can be found at http://TelecomSlayer.com
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STRAIGHT TALK LAW: TEXTING AND AUTO ACCIDENTS
We have all been conditioned after years and years of public service announcements and tragic accidents we see on the news not to drink and drive.ÃÂ If we see someone obviously intoxicated, most of us feel it’s our obligation to intervene.
But how many of us do anything when we see someone pull out a cell phone and start texting when they should be watching the road?
That’s why some recent studies on just how dangerous the combination of texting and driving is have alarmed me and many others.
The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute recently released their study results showing that people who text while driving are 23 times more likely to be in a crash. How did they arrive at this figure?àThey mounted a small camera in the driversââ¬â¢ vehicles aimed at their eyes, to see which tasks took their eyes off the road for the longest periods of time.
Texting was the clear-cut winner ââ¬â taking the driverââ¬â¢s eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. That may not seem like a long time, but itââ¬â¢s enough to travel the length of a football field if youââ¬â¢re traveling at 55 mph. By contrast, talking on a cell phone was much, much less of a risk ââ¬â causing you to be only 1.3 times more likely to have an auto accident.
Letââ¬â¢s be honest.àIf, before there were cell phones and computers, somebody told you they typed papers while they were driving, you would have thought they were completely insane.àWhile thereââ¬â¢s no doubt that a cell phone is a lot easier to handle than a typewriter used to be, itââ¬â¢s the same principle.àYouââ¬â¢re forced to concentrate on what youââ¬â¢re writing ââ¬â instead of concentrating on where your car is going.
Many other studies corroborate the Virginia Tech findings. The Transport Research Laboratory for the British Royal Automobile Club Foundation concluded that texting while driving is a great deal more dangerous than driving drunk. Another study by the Transportation Safety Group found that distracted drivers account for nearly 80 percent of car crashes. One final statistic: a recent survey found that half of 18- to 24-year-olds text while driving.
When you add up all these facts – texting distracts drivers the most, 80% of auto accidents are caused by distracted drivers, half of 18-24 year-olds text ââ¬â then a pretty frightening scenario comes into focus. A behavior more dangerous than drunk driving has taken root with our youngest drivers ââ¬â meaning this is just the beginning of a growing trend. And we have to do everything we can to discourage this dangerous practice.
For a better & SAFER way to do your texting take a look at http://TelecomSlayer.com
Jason Epstein has been representing individuals against insurance companies and large corporations since 2001. He limits his practice to personal injury and wrongful death cases including auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, or other serious and catastrophic injuries. Hopefully you have already visited StraightTalkLaw.com. This website is loaded with tons of information, and is constantly updated to keep you informed of recent developments. You can also stay up to date by following the blogs which are linked toStraightTalkLaw.com
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Southern California Car Accidents – How Texting Can Affect Your Safety
As mobile phones become more prevalent in today’s society, they are making dramatic differences in how we communicate. Mobile phone users can be reached anywhere, at any time, and for any reason. The constant need for communication has spilled into other facets of life, including driving. While mobile phones have allowed for dramatic increases in productivity, they are becoming a major cause for concern for motorists and a culprit for the high number of California auto accidents. Whether you are in San Bernadino, Riverside, Santa Monica, or any other heavily trafficked location, chances are you have either used a mobile phone, or witnessed another driver using a mobile phone while driving.
According to the Cellular Telephone and Internet Association (CTIA), the number of monthly text messages reached 110.4 billion in December of 2008, an increase of over 10 times the amount three years prior. Here are a few more scary statistics about the use of mobile phones while driving:
- Every day in 2008, over 800,000 people were using a mobile phone, texting, or calling while driving in the United States, making wireless devices the No. 1 source of driver inattention.
- Almost 50% of all drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 are texting while driving, and agree that texting is their number one distraction while operating a vehicle.
- According to the Virginia Tech Driving Institute (VTDI), distraction caused by dialing a cell phone increases the risk of accidents by 2.8 times, and distraction caused by texting increases the risk of accidents by 23.2 times in comparison to normal driving conditions.
The prevalence of mobile phone use while driving has caused a number of different states to enforce legislation. As of September 2009, a total of 18 states including District of Columbia have effectively banned all drivers from cell phone text messaging while driving. In California, as of January 1, 2009, the Wireless Communications Device Law makes it an infraction to write, send, or read text-based communication on a cell phone, while driving a motor vehicle in California. While there is a fine for this infraction (first offense is and a minimum of for subsequent convictions), the real issue at hand is the increased risk in causing a serious auto or truck accident. Serious accidents can result in severe injuries, high medical bills, wages lost, and vast amounts of pain and suffering.
Peter is a California truck accident, car accident, bicycle accident, motorcycle crash, slip and fall, and work accident attorney.
Posted in Hands Free Texting by .
Southern California Car Accidents â How Texting Can Affect Your Safety
As mobile phones become more prevalent in today’s society, they are making dramatic differences in how we communicate. Mobile phone users can be reached anywhere, at any time, and for any reason. The constant need for communication has spilled into other facets of life, including driving. While mobile phones have allowed for dramatic increases in productivity, they are becoming a major cause for concern for motorists and a culprit for the high number of California auto accidents. Whether you are in San Bernadino, Riverside, Santa Monica, or any other heavily trafficked location, chances are you have either used a mobile phone, or witnessed another driver using a mobile phone while driving.
According to the Cellular Telephone and Internet Association (CTIA), the number of monthly text messages reached 110.4 billion in December of 2008, an increase of over 10 times the amount three years prior. Here are a few more scary statistics about the use of mobile phones while driving:
- Every day in 2008, over 800,000 people were using a mobile phone, texting, or calling while driving in the United States, making wireless devices the No. 1 source of driver inattention.
- Almost 50% of all drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 are texting while driving, and agree that texting is their number one distraction while operating a vehicle.
- According to the Virginia Tech Driving Institute (VTDI), distraction caused by dialing a cell phone increases the risk of accidents by 2.8 times, and distraction caused by texting increases the risk of accidents by 23.2 times in comparison to normal driving conditions.
The prevalence of mobile phone use while driving has caused a number of different states to enforce legislation. As of September 2009, a total of 18 states including District of Columbia have effectively banned all drivers from cell phone text messaging while driving. In California, as of January 1, 2009, the Wireless Communications Device Law makes it an infraction to write, send, or read text-based communication on a cell phone, while driving a motor vehicle in California. While there is a fine for this infraction (first offense is and a minimum of for subsequent convictions), the real issue at hand is the increased risk in causing a serious auto or truck accident. Serious accidents can result in severe injuries, high medical bills, wages lost, and vast amounts of pain and suffering.
Peter is a California truck accident, car accident, bicycle accident, motorcycle crash, slip and fall, and work accident attorney.
Posted in Hands Free Texting by .
Jul 10
11
The Dangers of Distracted Driving
The Dangers of Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is one of the primary causes of auto accidents today. It is estimated that between 4,000 and 8,000 car accidents caused by distracted driving occur every day in this country. Distracted driving is a factor in approximately half of the six million auto accidents occurring each year in the United States.
Common Driver Distractions
The following driver distractions pose a serious risk to the safety of others on the road:
Cell phone use Texting Eating Tending to small children Conversing with passengers Gazing at objects outside the vehicle Driver fatigue Adjusting hand-held electronic devices such as iPods or GPS
Cell Phone Use While Driving
There is growing research to indicate that cell phone use while driving is one of the most dangerous distractions facing drivers today. Approximately 80% of drivers have admitted to using their phones while driving. Several studies have shown that talking on cell phones while driving increases your risk of an auto accident by four times.
Texting while driving is even more dangerous than talking on a cell phone, because it forces the driver to take his attention off the road for a prolonged period of time. A recent study tracking the texting patterns of truck drivers indicates that drivers take their eyes off the road for as long as five seconds at a time when texting while driving.
Changes in Government Policy Towards Cell Phone Use While Driving
President Obama has recently signed an executive order prohibiting federal employees from texting while driving government vehicles. This order covers both sending and reading text messages. Federal employees driving government-rented or -leased vehicles or personal vehicles used for government business are also forbidden from texting while driving.
The Obama administration has urged federal employees to set an example for the rest of the country. This law is most likely first in a series of laws that will be enacted to improve the safe driving practices of our nationâs drivers.
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