Distracted Driving and Auto Accidents
As an experienced auto accident lawyer Memphis TN turns to in serious injury auto accident cases, we have seen time and time again that distracted driving leads to car crashes. What is distracted driving? Anything that takes your attention away from driving is a distraction. Sending or reading a text message or email, talking on a cell phone, using a navigation system, reading a newspaper, applying makeup, and eating are a few examples of distracted driving. Any of these distractions can endanger your life or the life of others. In 2015, 3,477 people were killed, and 391,000 people were injured in auto accidents involving distracted drivers.
Distractions can take on a few different forms.
- Visual– Taking your eyes off the road.
- Cognitive– Taking your mind off driving.
- Manual– Taking your hands off the wheel.
The increased advertising we are seeing that warns against texting and driving is for good reason. Texting or emailing while driving is especially dangerous because it combines all three types of distraction. Did you know that sending or reading a text message or email takes your eyes off the road for about 5 seconds, which is long enough to cover a football field if you are driving at 55 miles per hour?
Those most “at risk” for distracted driving are young adults and teens. Drivers under age 20 have the highest proportion of distraction-related crashes. In a 2015 study, it was found that 42% of high school students who drove in the past 30 days reported sending a text or email while driving. For these reasons, many states are passing laws banning texting, and in some cases the use of cellular phones, while driving. As of June 2017, texting while driving is banned in 46 states and the District of Columbia.
If you are involved in a car crash, you or your lawyer should try to determine if the other driver was distracted in any way. If you need help with your auto accident case, or another kind of personal injury case, contact the experienced auto accident lawyer Memphis TN trusts. Thanks to our friends and contributors at Wiseman Bray PLLC<.a> who have significant experience fighting for auto accident victims in Tennessee. Contact Wiseman Bray PLLC today if you need an auto accident lawyer Memphis TN trusts with its most serious cases.