Just how dangerous is texting while driving?

The law in Pennsylvania says that no driver can text behind the wheel. Texting while driving, which is just one of the many different things that can distract a driver, is horrifically dangerous. Of course, there are many people in Pennsylvania who have managed to text and drive without ever getting into an accident, there are also numerous stories of people seriously injured in crashes, too. In fact, one state’s traffic commission has estimated that texting while driving is six times more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk.

Though this statistic is not from Pennsylvania, it is likely accurate. Any form of distracted driving is dangerous, in part because it forces the driver to pay attention to something other than the road. Regardless of how good some drivers think they are at multitasking, driving requires every bit of concentration.

If there is evidence that someone was texting while driving, surfing the Internet or even talking on the phone in the moments leading up to an accident, this can be used to show negligence in a personal injury lawsuit. If you are hurt because a driver wasn’t paying attention, you may be able to receive compensation for pain and suffering, property damage, medical bills and more.

In the fight against distracted driving, it certainly doesn’t help that 90 percent of smartphone owners will keep their phone nearby and accessible while driving. From it being in their hands to the seat next to them, many people will check their phones while driving. If people kept their phones out of reach and on silent, there may be a better chance that they would focus on the task at hand: driving.

Source: GeekWire, “Distracted driving: Oakland mayor reportedly runs red, hits car while talking on phone,” Taylor Soper, June 8, 2014