What Are the Dangers of Texting and Driving?
In the modern era of the ever-present cell phone, there is a particular danger that has begun to cause concern across the nation: texting while driving. The act might seem innocuous, but it actually takes the driver’s concentration totally away from the task of driving, leading to serious car accidents that can cause injuries with lifelong repercussions. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calls texting and driving “the most alarming” form of distracted driving because it can take your attention away from the road for as much as five seconds—enough to travel the length of an entire football field if you are moving at 55 miles per hour!
According to the AAA Traffic Safety Foundation, using a cell phone is the second most common cause of teenage distracted driving car crashes, slightly behind the influence of other passengers in the car. The fact of the matter is that texting and driving leads to car accidents, and the act can cause crashes that are disastrous. Anyone injured in such a crash should get in touch with Dallas texting and driving car accident lawyers like those at our firmto build a case for compensation.
Why Texting is So Bad
End Distracted Driving, an organization created to raise awareness of the dangers of failing to focus on driving while behind the wheel, explains the dangers of texting while driving by showing the three ways that it embodies distraction.
Texting and Driving Affects My Hands
As a form of “manual distraction,” texting while driving requires you to remove at least one hand from the steering wheel while you are driving. And while that hand is busy unlocking your phone or typing away, you are less able to respond to changing road conditions that may lead to a wreck. For instance, you may be unable to turn the car properly when the road sharply curves, or you may be unable to switch lanes quickly enough if someone cuts you off.
Texting and Driving Affects My Eyes
Not only does texting require the use of your hands, but it also pulls your eyes away from the road. This is dangerous because you cannot see potential hazards in the road, like a sudden lane shift, sharp curves, stop signs, traffic lights, and other items that require your attention. Failing to see these hazards can mean that you cause a serious accident while traveling at full speed, leading to even worse injuries than normal.
Texting and Driving Affects My Mind
The third form of distraction is called cognitive distraction, and it includes all the things that take your concentration away from the act of driving. Texting certainly falls into this category as well, since you have to focus on the content of the text message you are sending or receiving. Even that little lapse in concentration can mean that you miss hazards or conditions that can cause you to crash.
Potential Penalties
If you text and drive, there is another danger that can arise for you: the penalties associated with the act. Texas enacted House Bill 62 in 2017, criminalizing texting while driving. If you are caught texting while driving, you face a fine of $25 to $99. It if it not your first time, the fine can increase all the way up to $200. Additionally, you can be fined up to $4,000 and given a one-year jail sentence if your actions caused someone else serious injury or death.
Those are steep penalties, and they showcase just how seriously Texas has started to take texting while driving.
What a Dallas Car Accident Lawyer Can Do For Me
At our firm, our Dallas car accident law firm is designed to help people injured in serious wrecks. That includes accidents caused by people texting while driving, as they tend to result in more significant injuries. If you are injured in a car accident due to someone texting while operating their vehicle, we may be able to help you get the compensation you need to adapt to post-injury life.
A Lawyer Can Help Me Prove Fault
First, an attorney will work to gather and preserve evidence of the opposing driver’s fault. This can include cell phone records to show that they were texting at the time of the accident, the crash report provided by the police officer at the scene, eyewitness testimony, expert witnesses, surveillance and traffic camera footage, and more.
A Lawyer Can Help Me Prove My Damages
By gathering evidence of the harms you experience as a result of your injury, one of our attorneys can help you show the true value of your claim. Examples of this kind of evidence include your medical records, employer’s records showing lost wages, bills or receipts from car repairs, personal or family testimony about changes to your personality, expert witness testimony about the value of your pain, and more.
Meeting With Car Accident Lawyers is FREE
You can get a FREE consultation regarding your texting and driving car accident by calling our firm at 469-998-4069 or filling out the form on our contact page. Remember: we work on a contingency basis, so we don’t get paid unless you do!
