Distracted driving caused by texting behind the wheel continues despite laws prohibiting the deadly form of distracted driving.
Despite the fact that forty-four states have enacted laws prohibiting texting while driving, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated that at any given time during the day, more than 600,000 drivers are using cell phones or electronic devices while they are driving. In a recent study by AT&T, 75 percent of motorists who own cellphones admitted texting while driving even while acknowledging that the practice was dangerous.
In 2012, over 3,300 people died as a result of distracted driving and another 421,000 were injured.
Texting behind the wheel is the most dangerous type of distracted driving. Texting while driving triples the risk of an accident and is difficult for law enforcement to detect.
If a driver is ticketed for texting while driving, it is generally treated as a minor infraction with fines as law as $20. If the distracted driving results in an accident, punishment is much more serious. An injury accident caued by texting can bring up to a year in jail in the state of Maryland.
Law enforcement agencies are becoming more resourceful in efforts to detect and fine texters. Techniques range from faux panhandlers who approach cars, elevated vehicles from which officers can see a driver’s hands and “spotters” on overpasses. Police may soon have a radar gun-like device that can detect radio frequencies that are emitted from a vehicle when a cellphone is in use. The manufacturer claims that the detector can distinquish between a text and a phone call. That detector is still in the design stages.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an automobile accident, the Ohio automobile accident injury attorneys contact Clark, Perdue & List. Clark, Perdue & List has successfully represented hundreds of automobile accident victims and their families.