You try your best to be a responsible driver. That means avoiding alcohol when you know you have to drive and ensuring you are alert enough to safely manage a car. It also means that you keep your hands and your eyes off your smartphone while you’re driving. Unfortunately, far too many other people make the opposite, less responsible decision. They choose to indulge in distraction and put others at risk for a crash.
You likely already know that there are probably people on the road sending texts, dialing phone numbers or looking down at their phone for some reason. You likely don’t realize how serious and prevalent of an issue it is.
Statistics about texting and driving paint a scary picture
When drivers have to report their own cellphone usage, especially in the wake of a collision or crash, they are very likely to underreport the frequency and duration of texting while driving incidents. Zendrive analyzed data from three million anonymous drivers over the course of three months. They drove 5.6 billion miles during 570 million trips. The analysis indicates that drivers used their phones during 88 out of 100 trips.
Some of those people may have been stopped at intersections or in standstill traffic. However, many of them were using their phones while actively driving their vehicles. Texas ranked 35th for the highest levels of distraction. In other words, only 15 states had more distraction, while 34 had fewer. That means that you can expect to encounter several other drivers who have phones in their laps whenever you hit the road in this state.
Distracted drivers can cause serious injuries
No matter how careful you are behind the wheel, you simply can’t control what other people do. Decisions made by other drivers can put you at risk or even cause a collision that injures you. Depending on the type of accident and the speed you were traveling, the injuries you suffer could leave you in the hospital and unable to work. Broken bones, traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries, as well as debilitating soft tissue injuries, can all result from collisions.
The costs for medical care can quickly pile up. At the same time, you are probably missing work while you recover, making it harder for you to make ends meet financially. You shouldn’t have to suffer enormous financial losses because of someone else’s terrible decision. Thankfully, when someone else injures you out of neglect or a wrongful act, such as breaking the law, you have legal options to seek compensation. The person who caused the crash by choosing to drive while texting should be held accountable for that decision and the damage it caused.
