The Dangers of Texting While Driving

A large and ever-growing percentage of Americans these days have a cell phone within arm’s reach at all times. The simple truth is that cell phones and, more specifically, smart phones make life easier. We are never out of touch, and that can be a wonderful thing. This can be a bad thing, however, when damage is caused when people can’t leave their smart phones alone while they sit behind the wheel of a vehicle. Just by reading a text while driving, individuals are 23 percent more likely to get into a car accident. The average time it takes to read a text message is 4.6 seconds. If a vehicle is traveling at 65 miles per hour, 4.6 seconds equates to the length of a football field. Unfortunately not enough drivers are aware enough of the potential dangers of texting while driving, and too many accidents happen as a result. If you have been injured in an accident as as result of a driver that was texting while driving, you may be eligible for financial compensation for the liable party.

What Could Happen?

While it’s true that not every instance of texting while behind the wheel results in the worst case – a fatal collision – the Department of Transportation found that approximately 1.6 million car accidents involving cell phones occur across the country each year. Drivers who text while operating a vehicle could cause accidents by doing any of the following:

• Failing to stay within his or her lane.
• Failing to stop at lights or signs.
• Failing to see pedestrians.
• Failing to react quickly.

Texting is one of the top causes of distracted driving in America today, and drivers should know better than to do so. The consequences of distracted driving are serious, and the responsibility of careful driving falls on every individual who sits behind a wheel.

Contact a Car Accident Lawyer in Tennessee

If you have been involved in an accident as a result of distracted driving, you do not have to shoulder the resulting financial burdens alone. Contact the Tennessee legal team of Pohl & Berk, LLP today by calling 615-277-2765 to discuss the particulars of your case with an attorney.