We have likely all done it, even if it was before legislation passed, almost all drivers have sent or read a text message while driving. As legislation banning the dangerous habit passes across the country, research has found that texting is six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that when a person is sending or receiving a text, they take their eyes off the road for approximately 4.6 seconds. If a driver is traveling at 55 miles per hour, during those few seconds they would have traveled the link of a football field blindfolded.
Texting makes drivers 23 times more likely to be involved in a collision and in 2011 more than 421,000 people were injured a motor vehicle accident involving a distracted driver. The number of people injured in an accident involving a distracted driver increased by 8.7 percent between 2010 and 2011.
In an effort to combat texting and driving, the NHTSA launched the U Drive. U Text. U Pay. campaign in early April. The campaign included a video that was marketed nationwide and showed the effects of texting while driving.
Although the campaign focused on teenage drivers, adults are also known to text while behind the wheel. A study by AT&T in 2013 found that more adults than teens surveyed admitted to texting while driving.
In Tennessee, cell phone use is banned for bus drivers and novice drivers. All drivers are prohibited from texting and driving.
If you or a loved one is seeking out a Knoxville car accident lawyer after suffering a personal injury in a texting and driving accident, contact Greg Coleman Law at (865) 247-0080. When youre left with medical bills, cant work and are in pain you need someone to stand up for your rights.
