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The Dangers of Texting and Driving – Personal Injury Law

The Dangers of Texting and Driving

Most people are good, responsible drivers who never take unnecessary risks. However, even the best drivers can make mistakes, and texting while driving is definitely one of those. Even though you may understand that texting and driving are dangerous, the statistics may shock you.personal injury law - auto accidents - texting and driving

Sending or reading a text while driving makes you 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash than normal driving. Simply dialing, talking on, or listening to a phone while driving makes you as much as three times as likely to be involved in the crash. Please find more information on this website here @ http://accident-lawyers-dallas.com/

23 percent of all automobile collisions (about 1.3 million crashes) involved cell phones in some way.
31 percent of drivers between the ages of 18 and 64 report that they’ve sent text messages or e-mails with their phones while driving at least once in the last 30 days.
The average person spends a minimum of 5 seconds looking at their cell phone when sending or receiving a text. If your car is traveling 55 miles per hour during that time, you travel the length of a football field. That’s 100 yards without ever looking at the road.
Using a phone to text while driving has been found to be as dangerous as having a blood alcohol content two times above the legal limit.
Teenagers who send or receive text messages while driving spend about 10% of their time on the road traveling outside of identified traffic lanes.
77% of teenagers say they are confident they can safely drive a car while texting.

Texting Crimes

Lawmakers around the country have recently begun recognizing just how dangerous driving while texting is. Numerous states have adopted laws against it. Whether you are involved in the crash or not, you may be committing a crime if you text or use a cell phone while driving. If you end up in a crash while texting, you could face significant criminal penalties.

Novice Drivers. If you have a restricted license, such as a learner’s permit or license that only allows you to drive with an adult present, you may be prohibited from using a cell phone at all, while driving. 36 states and the District of Columbia have laws that restrict novice drivers from using any kind of cell phone while driving, whether it’s to talk, send texts, or do anything else.
Cell Phones. 25 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands prohibit all drivers from using hand-held cellphones while driving. In all but two of the states, Maryland and West Virginia, an officer can pull you over for violating the cell phone ban even if you haven’t committed any other violations.auto accidents - texting and driving
Text Messaging. 48 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands ban text messaging for all drivers. Like cell phone laws, almost all of these laws allow police to give you a ticket for texting while driving even if you weren’t doing anything else wrong.
Negligence. If you are involved in a car crash while texting and the crash results in someone else being injured or killed, you could face significant penalties. Some courts have held that texting while driving is a criminally negligent act. If you are convicted of injuring or killing someone while criminally negligent you face years in prison. Don’t Do It!

Texting and driving do not mix. You are not capable of driving safely and using your cell phone at the same time, no matter how confident you are in your abilities. Stay safe, be smart, and when you’re driving: put the phone down.

If you have been injured in a cell phone-related accident, and need legal advice, contact an experienced Auto Accident attorney.

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