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Virginia (VA) Car Accident Lawyers
Offices in VA Beach, Hampton & Elizabeth City, NC  



Blog Category:

Car & Motorcycle Accident Attorneys

2/8/2010
James Lewis
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Distracted Driving on the Rise in West Virginia

Over 450 car accidents were linked to cell phone use, texting and driving, or other electronic distractions like an iPod or GPS last year in West Virginia (WV), according to the Charleston Gazette. 

texting, driving, car, accident, wreck, crash, injury, attorneyDistracted driving is a major safety issue that is becoming increasingly common as more people use cell phones and text in their daily lives. Estimates indicate well have a trillion text messages in the next couple of years . The drawback is that when people text and drive, theyre potentially putting themselves at risk of getting into a major car crash and suffering a serious injury like a broken neck, facial lacerations, severed limbs, or a traumatic brain injury . Our firm has been concerned about distracted driving for some time and recently published a consumer guide detailing all of the various factors leading to distracted driving (take advantage of the free download here). 

Are measures being taken to try and curb distracted driving in WV? Well, there is legislation working its way through the state senate which would make some distracted driving practices (i.e. talking on your cell phone while driving and texting while driving) a primary offense. Current law categorizes cell phone use while driving and/or texting and driving as a secondary offense, which means a police officer cant pull someone over if theyre engaged in these distracted driving practices. The driver would have to commit another offense like speeding or running a red light to get cited.

"It's hard to enforce. We need something with more teeth in it," said Sgt. Shawn Williams of the Charleston, WV Police Department traffic division.

Changing current law to stiffen cell phone use and texting penalties is a step in the right direction. Another important step is to address this issue early when young people are in a drivers education course hoping to get their drivers license. The next generation of drivers is at a much higher risk of suffering a serious injury in a car wreck due to distracted driving. Teenagers and young adults who are used to texting day in and day out will need to decrease this habit while behind the wheel. If not, the number of car accidents due to distracted driving in WV, and across the country, could dramatically increase.



Labels: accident Attorney brain car cell Crash distracted driving injury Lewis phone text texting traumatic Wreck wv


Best Virginia Injury Attorneys Virginia Super Lawyers   

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Virginia (VA) injury law firm whose attorneys focus exclusively on personal injury and accident law. We have a proven track record in the court room, and you can review our case results to see for yourself. Our attorneys have deep roots in Virginia and handle cases throughout the commonwealth including Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton and Suffolk, VA. We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in VA if you've been seriously hurt by another person's carelessness. 

Virginia injury lawyers Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been recognized as among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Shapiro and Lewis have also been selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. Rick and Jim have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010, making them among the 5 percent of lawyers so honored. In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our Virginia Beach accident injury firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill. 

We alsooffer free special reports and edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard blog sites as a public information service.

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential consultations, so call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to the high call volume, please leave a voicemaul and we will get back to you shortly. 

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Virginia Beach, VA Personal Injury Attorneys
Virginia (VA) Personal Injury Lawyers
Specializing in Virginia Wrongful Death & Injury Law 


1 Comments to "Distracted Driving on the Rise in West Virginia"

im a 15 year old & proud that texting is ban while driving ,because i have lost many friends due to texting while driving.!!! Those who do it are complete idiots!!!
Posted by lee on April 20, 2010 at 06:02 PM

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