The Trial Lawyer Magazine’s Blog recently reported on the disturbing news that cell phone involvement in fatal car crashes is under reported. The National Safety Council found that data collection for determining cell phone use in fatal car crashes isn’t accurately captured, so citizens and policymakers really don’t have the full picture. It may or may not come as a surprise that cell phone use plays a large part in injury-causing and fatal crashes across California and the U.S. Since cell phone use and distracted driving can be difficult to determine, it’s a good idea to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney after a crash.
April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is currently publicizing their campaign for National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. They are raising awareness about the dangers and costs associated with distracted driving. Since fatal and injury-causing crashes involving distracted drivers are preventable, the NHTSA is hoping to reduce cell phone use and other forms of distraction behind the wheel.
Manual, Visual and Cognitive Distractions Behind the Wheel
Everybody knows that texting-while-driving is a dangerous behavior, but what about other types of distractions? According to the NHTSA, any task that takes a driver’s manual, visual or cognitive attention away from the road is a distraction. Some behaviors can fall into more than one of those categories too. For example, texting-while-driving is a manual, cognitive and visual distraction behind the wheel. A driver must manually handle the phone, look at it to read an incoming text and cognitively think about the information being sent or received. All of these different actions are taking the driver’s focus away from the task of driving and putting everybody on the road at great risk.
When to Call an Attorney
If you or a loved one has been injured in a crash involving a distracted driver, you should speak with an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible. A lawyer can protect your legal rights during this difficult time, and help get you the compensation you deserve. Since distractions aren’t limited to electronic devices behind the wheel, your lawyer can stay abreast of official investigations and get to the bottom of whether or not distracted driving was a factor in your crash. Contact the experienced team at the Alexander Law Group, LLP at (888) 777-1776 for a free consultation today.
