In the United States, each day nine people are killed and more than 1,150 people are injured in crashes that involve a distracted driver. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are three main types of distraction:
Visual: taking your eyes off the road;
Manual: taking your hands off the wheel; and
Cognitive: taking your mind off of driving.
Activities that are considered distracting for drivers include cell phone usage, texting, eating, and using in-vehicle technologies. Texting and driving is considered the most dangerous as it includes all of the main types of distraction. Studies show that five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting. When traveling at 55mph, that's enough time to cover the length of a football field blindfolded.
In an effort to increase awareness of the dangers of distracted driving, ATT’s “It Can Wait” safety campaign recently published a three minute film depicting a father’s catastrophic choice regarding texting and driving. Click here to view it.
For your safety and the safety of others, the personal injury attorneys of Cunningham Bounds urge you to quit texting and driving.
If you or someone in your family has been injured or killed in an accident where distracted driving was a factor, please give us a call at 251-471-6191 for legal advice, free of charge.