The children of today grow up almost as connected to their cell phones or other mobile electronic devices as they were connected upon birth to an umbilical cord. When they get old enough to drive, they’re hooked, 24/7. Unfortunately, driving while emailing, calling, texting or otherwise checking the Internet can be a fatal mistake.
Studies recently have shown increased teen car wreck traffic accident fatalities due to two factors: more teens driving at night, and more teens driving while texting or making cell calls.
In the years between 1999 and 2008, nighttime fatal car crashes with teen drivers rose by 10 per cent. Night driving deaths increased at a lesser rate for older drivers, and driving fatalities overall declined in this time.
Bernie Fetts, a senior research specialist for the Texas Transportation Institute, told the Associated Press that the increased deaths arise from a “perfect storm” of factors. One such factor is driving at night, which is inherently more dangerous for anyone in any age group. Another is calling or texting while driving, which compromises a person’s ability to drive.
Teens tend to think otherwise, since they know they send text messages with ease. But texting is still a distraction, diverting them from giving their full attention to driving. And momentary inattention while driving can be fatal. Indeed, the yearly toll for drivers calling, emailing or texting is about 6,000 persons dead and 500,000 injured. Were those texts worth it?
Americans are becoming increasingly savvy to the deadly results of texting or calling while at the wheel of a vehicle. That’s why 23 states so far have passed laws banning texting while driving. The national FocusDriven organization, based in Texas, was created to battle distracted driving due to texting or cell phone calls much as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) was formed to combat DUI car crash accidents.
Oprah Winfrey of talk show fame also has created her own response to the car carnage: a “No Phone Zone” pledge for teens to sign. Those who sign promise not to text or use their cell phone while they are driving.
Jim S. Adler & Associates strongly endorses such safe driving initiatives and exhorts all drivers of all ages to save their phone calls and texts for a proper time – when they aren’t responsible for guiding a multi-ton vehicle through complicated traffic at often high speeds. Teens may say such calling and texting won’t be enough to divert them from driving safely, but those who have died in texting car accidents indicate otherwise. Texting car crash accidents occur daily, and your teen’s surprise first time may prove to be their fatal final time.
Jim S. Adler & Associates is a longtime Texas personal injury law firm with offices in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Channelview. The law firm offers a free case review and represents victims of auto, car, SUV, truck, motorcycle, bus and other traffic accidents, as well as drunk driving accidents.
