“Each death is 100 percent preventable.”
Those six words kick off the National Safety Council’s campaign for Distracted Driving Awareness Month, taking place this month across the country. It’s a powerful statement, but one that many read too quickly. Instead, drivers in Kentucky and elsewhere seem to agree that texting while driving is bad, yet act as if it can’t happen to them.
Texting while driving is the most visible distraction on many roads, but it’s far from the only thing. Mobile devices put a whole world at our fingertips. Police have seen it all: drivers playing Pokémon Go, posting to Snapchat, trading stocks and resetting passwords. In addition to phone-related distractions, drivers are guilty of applying make-up, eating takeout, talking to passengers in the back seat and other activities that pull attention away from where it needs to be: the road.
Instincts, addiction and responsibility
More than 40,000 people died on US highways last year, with 753 here in Kentucky. Studies show that drivers know texting while driving is dangerous. The problem is that drivers do it anyway. Mobile devices can be addictive, making it an instinctual act to grab your phone at a stoplight to see what is going on when you need to be focused on driving instead.
Actions have consequences
As the opening quote emphasizes, distracted driving accidents are entirely avoidable. A driver who causes an accident by distracted driving is responsible for the consequences, which can be life-altering for those in the other vehicle. If you or a loved one has been involved in a distracted driving accident, it’s essential that you get adequate compensation for your pain and suffering.
A serious injury isn’t just painful, it’s costly. Medical bills alone are expensive, but injuries also take away from daily enjoyment. You might miss work or lose your job, and the challenges of dealing with injuries put unnecessary stress on relationships and home life. By scheduling a consultation with an experienced attorney, you can learn how to protect your rights and receive fair compensation after an accident with an at-fault driver who was too concerned about their mobile device to follow the law while driving.
Disclaimer: The information in this blog post (“post”) is provided for general informational purposes only, and may not reflect the current law in your jurisdiction. No information contained in this post should be construed as legal advice from Sheehan, Barnett, Dean, Pennington, Dexter & Tucker, P.S.C. or the individual author, nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter. No reader of this post should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any information included in, or accessible through, this Post without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a lawyer licensed in the recipient’s state, country or other appropriate licensing jurisdiction.
