Distracted Driving

When drivers get behind the wheel of an automobile, they are responsible for thousands of pounds of steel and rubber traveling at high speeds. To drive while cavalierly focusing on anything other than the road puts everyone at risk.

Statistics Worth Knowing

There is no question that distracted driving is linked to accidents on the road. Just how perilous is it to take one’s eyes off the road?

• A crash can occur within just three seconds of a driver’s focus leaving the road;
• Roughly one-fourth of driving fatalities are associated with distracted driving;
• Distractions are listed as a factor in 80 percent of car accidents;
• More than half of teen driving accidents occur as a result of distracted driving;
• One-third of those surveyed say they use their hand held devices while driving due to habit;
• In 2015 alone, there were nearly 3,500 deaths and roughly 400,000 injuries due to distracted driving throughout the country;
• It is estimated that nine fatalities occur daily in the United States as a result of distracted driving;
• More than eight in ten drivers admit to engaging in patently egregious distracted behaviors while behind the wheel, including changing clothes, shaving, painting fingernails, and actually steering with a foot.

Naturally, not everyone engages in such shocking behavior while behind the wheel. Nonetheless, there are plenty of common activities that constitute distracted driving, including:

• Smoking;
• Eating;
• Entering information into a GPS;
• Conversing with people in the back seat;
• Petting or disciplining pets;
• Changing CDs;
• Spilling drinks;
• Texting.

Texting: a Common and Dangerous Activity

According to research, a driver’s eyes leave the road for an average of five seconds in order to send or receive a text. At highway speeds, a vehicle travels more than double the distance of a football field in that amount of time. New research suggests that drivers are 24 times more likely to be involved in an accident while texting than drivers who do not text. Nevertheless, many individuals engage in this particular distraction on a regular basis. Because texting and driving are so common in modern times, the Florida Legislature has actually addressed this specific behavior with the Florida Ban on Texting While Driving Law. The statute prohibits texting, emailing, and instant messaging while a vehicle is in motion. If a driver experiences an accident that involves injuries or death, phone records may be subpoenaed to determine whether or not these activities contributed to an accident.

Have you been the Victim of Distracted Driving?

Despite the well-known dangers of distracted driving, many drivers choose to engage in such reckless actions on a regular basis. In the event you or a loved one has suffered serious injuries or death as a result of another driver neglecting the responsibility that is inherent with getting behind the wheel, you deserve aggressive, experienced legal representation in the pursuit of justice. At the Salazar & Kelly Law Group, P.A., that is precisely what you will get. Contact us in Kissimmee for a free, confidential consultation today.

Resource:

leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0300-0399/0316/Sections/0316.305.html