Approximately 9 people are killed and over 1,000 are injured every single day in a distracted driving accident, according to a recent study released by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.
Distracted driving can be anything from texting while driving, to eating while driving, to reaching for something on the floor while driving. Whenever your eyes and your mind are not on the road, you are engaging in distracted driving, and unfortunately these distractions cause serious injuries and even fatalities every day.
The report found that over 3,300 people were killed and over 390,000 were injured in car crashes that involved distracted drivers in 2011. Similarly, in 2010, 18% of crashes resulting in injury were due to distracted driving. The report also found that American drivers use their phones much more than European drivers. In the U.S., 69% of drivers admitted to using their phones while driving, while Europeans ranged from 21% in Britain to 59% in Portugal.
“Texting while driving is linked with drinking and driving or riding with someone who has been drinking among school students in the United States,” the CDC said. “Students who text while driving are nearly twice as likely to ride with a driver who has been drinking and five times as likely to drink and drive than students who don’t text and drive.”
Many states are enacting laws against texting while driving to highlight the consequences of performing these tasks while driving.
Finkelstein and Partners, LLP. is committed to preventing distracted driving related crashes by speaking to students at local high schools about the dangers of texting while driving. If you would like us to speak at your child’s school, contact us at communications@lawampm.com. Learn more about our Commit to Quit Texting & Driving program!