Texting and Driving Accidents

Drivers who send or receive a text message while driving not only endanger passengers in their own car, but also the many other drivers in close proximity to them on the road. Everyone who is on the road with the texting driver could potentially be in danger of becoming involved in a crash. If you or a loved one were injured in an automobile accident due to texting while driving, then you have a legal right to pursue a claim against that driver to recover for your injuries and damages. The Alabama texting and driving car accident attorneys can help. Call us at 844.LAW.TALK or 205.324.3600 or online here.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issues annual statistics regarding fatalities occurring from accidents. In 2011, a CDC report concluded that 3,331 people were killed in motor vehicle accidents involving a “distracted” driver. Although there are many reasons why a driver might become distracted while operating a motor vehicle, distraction and inattentiveness associated with texting has become an increasingly big problem, almost to an epidemic level. The 2011 CDC report also established that 196 billion text messages were either sent or received that year in the U.S. This number was up nearly 50% from June of 2009. In 2011, at least 23% of car accidents involved some kind of mobile device usage. With so many individuals now using cell phones and/or mobile devices, these percentages are bound to increase in years to come. Motor vehicle accidents involving the use of mobile devices has become so rampant that it is now being called “Driving While Intexticated.”

The dangers and hazards associated with texting and driving have brought many states to enact legislation that makes texting while driving illegal. Alabama passed such a law. The Alabama law took effect on August 1, 2012. The law includes fines of $25 (first offense), $50 (second offense) and $75 (third and subsequent offenses) for those caught texting and driving. Each offense will result in a two-point violation on a person’s driving record. The law does not prohibit dialing or answering a cell phone.

Distraction.gov indicates that a person who is sending or receiving a text message will look at his or her phone for an average of 4.6 seconds. During the 4.6 seconds, the driver is obviously not able to focus on driving and pay attention to vehicles in the vicinity. If the driver is going approximately 60 mph in this time frame, the driver will travel more than 300 feet, or the length of a football field, without looking at the road. A lot can happen during this time: the texting driver could go off the road, thereby injuring himself or his occupants or even worse, crash into another automobile, motorcycle, truck or pedestrian.

The risk of a crash is so great when texting and driving that Distraction.gov reports a person who is texting is 23 times as likely to become involved in an auto accident. This is a significantly greater risk than even a person who is simply using a handheld device. Research shows someone using a handheld device is only four times as likely to get into a crash as compared with a driver who is not distracted at all.

To prevent this danger, Alabama has instituted a ban on texting and driving that applies to all drivers. No drivers in Alabama are permitted to send or receive text messages. Doing so will result in fines.

If you or a loved one were injured or killed in an automobile accident involving a driver who was texting, then contact the trusted and experienced Birmingham Car accident attorneys of Hollis Wright. We have the experience and the resources to fully investigate the accident. Oftentimes, drivers will tell the investigating police officer that they were not using a cell phone or texting at the time of the incident, even though they were in fact doing so. Our team of investigators and attorneys can subpoena phone records and text messaging records to uncover critical evidence, establishing that a driver was texting at the time of the incident, and thereby breaking Alabama law.

Call the Alabama texting and driving car accident attorneys at 844.LAW.TALK or 205.324.3600 for a free and confidential consultation regarding your accident. An attorney is ready to help you pursue your legal claim and obtain monetary compensation for medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress and other damages. You can also fill out this form for a case evaluation.