According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 3,142 people killed in distracted driving accidents in the United States. Hundreds of thousands more suffer personal injuries. Despite the extensive warnings about the dangers of engaging in distracted driving behaviors, the number of victims continues to rise each year.
Multiple studies show that even though drivers know it is wrong and dangerous, they continue to read or write text messages, and look at social media on a hand-held cell phone anyway. In one major study conducted by AAA, 40 percent of drivers admitted to reading, while 30 percent admitted to typing on a smartphone at least once within the prior month – despite the fact that more than 95 percent of these same drivers said they believed these activities were very dangerous.
Just like many intoxicated drivers are aware of the dangers of drinking and driving, it appears that “intexticated” drivers are aware of the dangers of texting and driving.
The Hangover Effect
There are three different types of driving distractions:
- Visual distractions
- Manual distractions
- Cognitive distractions
When it comes to texting and driving, a driver will experience all three of these dangerous distractions.
Our personal injury law firm has previously written about the “hangover effect” that distracted driving has on drivers. Research has found that a driver’s mind can stay distracted for up to 27 seconds after using a smartphone or a voice-to-text vehicle infotainment system to make calls, send text messages, or update social media. This means that waiting until you are stopped at a red light or stop sign to text (which is still illegal) or use your infotainment system does not alleviate the dangers.
The only way to avoid being an intexticated driver is to avoid using your phone entirely while behind the wheel – both hand-held and hands-free.
Contact an Experienced Virginia Personal Injury Attorney
If you have been injured in a car accident caused by a distracted driver, contact a seasoned Virginia Beach car accident attorney to find out what legal recourse you may have against the at-fault driver. Under Virginia law, you may be entitled to collect financial compensation for all medical expenses, loss of income, pain and suffering, emotional anguish, and any other losses the injury you suffered has caused you. Our firm will work diligently to get you the compensation you deserve, like the $235,000 car accident insurance settlement we obtained for one client who suffered multiple injuries when another driver failed to yield the right of way.
Keep in mind, however, there is a statute of limitations on how long you have to file your accident claim. Once that time frame has closed, so too has the window to file your car accident claim, so call Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp today.
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