Texting While Driving on the Rise

A recent survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that, despite increased legislation forbidding it, texting while driving is on the rise. The survey estimated that roughly 1 in every 100 drivers on the road at a given moment was texting, e-mailing, surfing the web or using some other feature of their portable handheld devices in 2010: a year that amassed nearly 3100 deaths in automobile accidents due to distracted driving.

The results of the survey are cause for alarm. At the Law Offices of James Morris, our Buffalo car accident lawyers have seen first-hand the devastation of distracted driving crashes in New York. Our attorneys have represented clients who were seriously injured in auto accidents due to the negligence of other drivers.

The data unveiled a drastic dissonance between driver beliefs and behavior. According to the NHTSA survey, those polled acknowledged very few circumstances where they would NOT talk or text on their cell phone while behind the wheel, despite supporting greater restrictions on both behaviors (seventy-one percent of survey participants supported bans on using handheld devices behind the wheel, while a whopping 94% supported bans on texting while driving). Seventy-five percent of those same drivers polled said they would answer their ringing phone while driving, without regard to driving conditions at the time of the phone call.

Thirty-five states currently have a ban in effect for drivers who text and drive, while only 9 ban the use of handheld devices altogether (New York included). These statistics beg the question, should drivers face stricter penalties for using cell phones behind the wheel? The majority of the 6000 drivers surveyed believed that issued fines should be at least $100 and a quarter of them felt that $200-$500 was a sufficient penalty to pay. Ironically, the very same drivers who support increased fines are the ones paying the price.

If you’ve been injured in a texting while driving related accident, call James Morris Law today. 716-855-1118. Our personal injury lawyers in New York put experience and resources to work for clients.