Distracted driver are at fault for a lot of the fatal and nonfatal crashes that take place each year in New York and around the country. Statistics reveal that every day, an average of nearly 10 people die in the United States after being involved in a distracted driving accident. Well more than 1,000 people are also injured in these kinds of accidents on an average daily basis.
Distracted driving is the act of driving while performing another activity that requires a fair amount of attention. Examples include driving while eating, texting or talking on a cellphone. While performing a secondary activity, a driver may become visually, manually or cognitively distracted. Texting while driving, an act that is subject to penalties in New York, is one of the most dangerous forms of distraction because it distracts a driver in all three ways.
In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed data about distracted driving. Researchers found that 69 percent of drivers between the ages of 18 and 64 admitted that they had driven while talking on a cellphone sometime within the past 30 days. In comparison, 31 percent of drivers in the same age group admitted to sending or receiving a text message while driving. The CDC says that drivers under the age of 20 are involved in the highest number of fatal distracted driving crashes.
A person who has been injured in a car accident involving a distracted driver might be able to claim some financial compensation from the driver. Many victims seek help from an attorney while building this type of personal injury claim. An attorney might be able to help the victim to gather evidence to help establish that the actions of the driver were negligent.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Distracted Driving”
