When there is an accident in Louisiana, one of the first issues that must be examined is its cause. One reason that car accidents occur is if there is a distracted driver. Although it is known that drivers face dangers due to a distracted drivers partaking in such behaviors as texting and driving, the actual statistics are even more worrisome. Those who have been involved in a car accident need to know how it happened should they decide that they would like to pursue compensation through a legal filing.
The actual numbers are significant as to how many drivers are texting while operating their vehicles. 49 percent of adults say they have texted while driving. This while 98 percent of adults acknowledge the danger of the practice. Each day, there are nine people who die because of a crash resulting from distracted driving. There is a one in four chance that a car accident involved using a cellphone. As for teens, 40 percent have said that they have been passengers in a vehicle while the driver was using a cellphone in a dangerous manner.
For drivers between the age of 18 and 64, 33 percent stated that they read or wrote text messages while they were driving in the prior month. This a far more significant number than, for comparison, people in Spain, who did so only 15 percent over the same timeframe. In 2013 alone, there were 341,000 accidents that were linked to texting and driving. Using a cellphone while driving increases the danger of being in an accident by four. Studies have also shown that drivers are only able to look away from the road for two seconds and still be safe while driving. Compare that with the amount of time it takes to send a text message being an average of five seconds, and it shows how the practice can lead to a crash. The age group that is most likely to send an email or text while driving is 21 to 24.
Considering the realities of how being a distracted driver can lead to an accident with injuries and even fatalities, those who were involved in a crash need to know how to move forward with a case to be compensated. Getting the right information about moving forward with litigation is imperative to filing a claim.
Source: Huffington Post, “10 Statistics That Capture The Dangers of Texting and Driving,” Erin Schumaker, June 8, 2016