Researchers have determined that texting while driving is the leading cause of both death and injury for teenage drivers, with an estimated 3,000 deaths and 300,000 injuries for teen drivers every year because of the practice, as reported by newsday.com. Texting while behind the wheel has surpassed drunk driving as a cause of death (2,700 fatalities per year); driving under the influence has decreased sharply over the past twenty years, while texting and driving has risen over the past seven. The report also found that teenagers were not likely to follow laws that prohibited the latter practice.
Texting while driving is an incredibly dangerous habit. Last month, Virginia lawmakers officially made texting while driving a primary offense; we have also seen plenty of evidence that texting behind the wheel is just as dangerous as drunk driving. The behavior falls under the category of “distracted driving,” and our personal injury law firm has been outspoken against this practice; earlier this year we gave a presentation at a local high school called EndDD in order to educate young drivers about the dangers of driving without full consciousness of the road and other motorists.
Because distracted driving is so dangerous, and can lead to serious injuries and death, we take it seriously. The personal injury lawyers at our Virginia law firm wrote an in-depth guide to the dangers of distracted driving; you can click here to download it for free.
It’s not just texting that makes for a distracted driver; one of our Virginia injury attorneys wrote an article explaining how an unrestrained pet in the car can lead to dangerous driving conditions, as well. To ensure a safe driving experience for you and for other motorists on the road, it’s important to have no distractions in order to allow you to focus on traffic and driving conditions.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, either from a distracted driver or due to other factors, you should know what to do. Our VA personal injury lawyers have written a free detailed book on the ins-and-outs of car accidents in Virginia; click here to read it.
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