Distracted Drivers

New Orleans, LA Distracted Driver Accident Injury Lawyer

In 2010, more than 3,000 victims died in car crashes involving distracted drivers.  Cell phone use alone accounts for 1.3 million distracted driving wrecks a year.  Most of these accidents involve texting and cell phone use, but distractions come in various forms and are everywhere, both inside and outside of the vehicle.  Distractions fall into three different categories: Visual, Cognitive and Manual.  Anytime that drivers do not have their eyes on the road, they are visually distracted.  When drivers are not thinking clearly about the situation at hand, they experience a cognitive distraction.  When drivers do not have their hands on the wheel, they are physically distracted.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the main causes of distracted driving accidents are cell phone use, reaching for an object in the car, looking at something other than the situation immediately around you (like watching at rubbernecking or an accident on the roadway), reading and applying makeup.  Many people assume that the more you do these activities while driving, the better you get at multi-tasking while driving.  However, nothing could be further from the truth.  Statistics show that the more often people drive while distracted, the higher their risk for an accident.

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Although many laws have been enacted across the country to end distracted driving, and in Louisiana it is against the law to text while driving, most drivers continue these practices.  Drivers under 20 are most at risk for causing accidents while engaging in distracted driving, and cause more accidents due to distracted driving than any other group.  Distracted driving is a huge problem. 

TEXTING AND DRIVING

The most common analogy used to represent the dangers of texting and driving comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Distraction” campaign:

“Texting…involves manual, visual and cognitive distraction simultaneously.  Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 4.6 seconds.  At 55mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field while blindfolded.”

Nearly 20% of all traffic fatalities each year could have been avoided had it not been for a driver that was texting while driving.  This statistic is particularly troubling since texting and driving has been outlawed in most states, including Louisiana.  New drivers with learner’s or intermediate licenses are prohibited from using cell phones at all while driving in Louisiana.

Another worrisome statistic is that the majority of those texting while driving are between the ages of 16 and 24.  Drivers in this age range are already considered to be at a higher risk for being involved in an accident due to their inexperience.  More than half of all teenagers who have a cell phone between the ages of 16 and 17 say that they frequently talk or text while driving, according to research from the Pew Research Foundation.  The combination of inexperience with distraction  can spell disaster on the streets.    

If you have been injured in a car wreck, learn about your legal rights from an experienced Louisiana car accident lawyer by calling 504-581-4892 or by filling out our free, no obligation case review form.