Car Accident Lawyer Jonesboro GA
What are my legal options after a texting and driving car accident?
Texting while driving or ‘distracted driving’ has become epidemic among all age groups. The outrageous statistics indicate that close to a half million people are killed or injured as a result of traffic accidents that involve texting or cell phone use while driving each year.
Unfortunately, statistics in the United States far surpass other countries in terms of distracted driving. In this country, 69 percent of drivers admitted they used their cell phone while driving at some time during the previous month. This compares to 29 percent in the UK or 59 percent in Portugal. Distracted driving includes driving while using GPS, eating while driving, and the most prevalent use of all, cell phones for texting and talking.
Texting by far is the biggest culprit, with over 150 billion texts sent and received in this country each year. Drivers under the age of 20, along with being regular texters, comprise 27 percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes caused by distracted driving. If you were involved in an accident and you were injured as a result of someone’s distracted driving, contact a car accident lawyer from Butler Kahn. Your Jonesboro GA lawyer can represent you in court and work to get the compensation and damages due you because of someone else’s carelessness.
Why Texting While Driving is So Dangerous
Studies indicate that a texting driver is 23 times more apt to be the cause of a traffic accident than a driver who is not texting. Texting is worse than other distractions, such as having a conversation with a passenger, adjusting the radio, or even talking on a cell phone.
Texting involves the use of three physical and mental actions, each taking away from concentrating on the road and other driving hazards. How so?
- Your eyes are not on the road, but instead, are reading a text or scanning your phone
- In order to send a text, at some point, you are taking at least one hand off the steering wheel while you are driving
- Your concentration is not on your driving, but on working your devices, and reading or sending texts to others
Texting has become somewhat addicting. Many people feel they have to read a text or answer an incoming message immediately. Even a split second away from the primary task at hand — driving — can cause an accident.
How to Prove the Driver that Hit You Was Texting
It is highly unlikely the driver that hit you will admit to texting when the accident occurred. As a victim, you have the right to request any evidence that proves otherwise. It will take a bit more digging, but can mean a big difference when determining liability and receiving compensation for your claim.
An experienced car accident lawyer Jonesboro GA clients recommend will be able to file a motion with the court in order to obtain a copy of the at-fault driver’s phone records, as well as gather other evidence. If you have been injured in an accident where you believe the other driver was driving while texting, contact Butler Kahn for a consultation with a member of our team.
