Most New York drivers understand how dangerous it is to text and drive. However, some drivers continue to text and drive on a daily basis. Americans are incredibly busy between shuttling kids to school, working, and running errands. Attempting to multitask while driving is a common temptation for young and old drivers alike. Many drivers know that texting while driving is dangerous, yet they still think they must pick up their phone and answer text messages. Texting and talking while driving poses a serious safety threat to everyone on the road.
Cell Phone Users are Much More Likely to Get Into a Car Accident
According to a University of Utah study, drivers who drive while talking on a cell phone are just as impaired as drivers who are intoxicated at New York’s legal blood-alcohol limit of .08%. Cell phone users are 5.35 times more likely to be involved in a car accident than drivers who are not distracted. Texting while driving can be even more dangerous than talking on the phone while driving. Texting while driving increases the risk of being involved in a crash or near-crashes by 23 times. Even though checking a text message does not seem like it takes significant time, having one’s eyes off of the road for five seconds to respond or read a text is long enough to drive the length of a football field when the car is traveling at 55 miles-per-hour.
Texting and Driving by Teenage Drivers is Incredibly Dangerous
Teenagers are more likely to text and drive. Texting while driving is dangerous for all drivers. However, teenage texting and driving is especially dangerous because teens are not as experienced as adult drivers. Adults and teenage drivers should take care to stop any text or call before they turn the engine on in their car. It may be wise to place cell phones in the glove box to avoid being tempted by them. Drivers may want to set their phone to “do not disturb” while they drive to avoid the temptation of texting while driving.
Fatalities Caused by Texting and Driving
Distracted driving caused the deaths of 3,166 individuals in 2017. In 2016, 2.9% of drivers used cell phones while driving. In 2019, a survey of 2,000 drivers demonstrated the following facts:
- 37% of survey respondents stated that they felt a large amount of pressure to respond to work-related text messages while driving
- Parents of young children admitted than they were more likely to be distracted by driving
- One in three female drivers admitted to taking photos of themselves or others while they were driving.
- Further, only 16% of drivers who owned iPhones stated that they are never distracted while driving.
- 10% of Apple iPhone users reported that they watch YouTube videos while driving
We can Help
If you or a loved one have suffered an injury caused by a driver texting and driving, our New York personal injury attorneys can help. Contact our car accident injury law firm today to learn how our skilled personal injury attorneys can help you and your family.
