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Distracted driving includes all types of behaviors that take a drivers attention from the road. Although distracted driving is often linked to cell phone usage (look at our cell phone accident page here), it is not the only activity that is causing drivers to lose focus. Eating, drinking, conversing with passengers and fidgeting with various gadgets or a radio can all be culprits in distracted driving accidents. Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers represents people who have suffered injuries related to a distracted driver in Chicago, Illinois.
Any time a driver looks away from the road, takes their hands from the wheel or just loses focus while driving, there can be deadly consequences. It only takes a moment for the person in front of them to brake or for an object to fly onto the road, and if the driver is distracted, they may not be able to react in time. According to a NHTSA study, the majority of crashes are due to inattention by the driver in that crucial 3 seconds before a crash, accounting for 80% of crashes.
- Texting while driving increases the risk of an accident by 23 times
- Reaching for a moving object while driving increases the risk by 9 times
- Putting on make up increases the risk by 3 times
- Looking at an external object increases the risk of an accident by 3.7 times
In 2011, there were 3,331 people that were killed and another 387,000 that were injured due to a distracted driver. These people may have been in the car with the driver, walking or riding their bike or sharing the road in another vehicle. The real tragedy is that distracted driving is completely preventable and these losses should never have happened.
Texting & Driving: A Culture That Just Doesn’t StopOne of the biggest distractions is texting while driving. Although cell phone usage of any kind can distract a driver, texting is the most dangerous since it requires the driver to look away from the road. An average text message takes 4.6 seconds to read which is equivalent to shutting your eyes while driving the distance of a football field at 55 MPH. In addition to being dangerous, in Illinois, texting while driving is against the law and is a primary offense, meaning drivers can be pulled over by police for that violation alone.
Proving Distracted Driving Played a Role in a Chicago Auto AccidentIn a car accident case, proving that the other driver was distracted and this negligence caused the accident, it not always easy to do. Although it is becoming more common for police to look for distractions such as cell phones in car accident investigations, sometimes it will take witnesses and other evidence to prove it.
Chicago Car Collision Attorneys for Distracted Driver AccidentsIf a distracted driver has caused an accident that left you or a loved one injured or even worse, caused a fatality, you need to have an experienced legal team on your side. Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers are experienced in handling these difficult auto accident cases and our team of experts will help prove your case. We will use our knowledge and research skills to obtain the financial outcome you deserve for your losses. Contact us for a free consultation here and we work on a contingency basis, meaning you are not charged a fee unless we win your case.
Resources concerning the increase of auto accidents due to distracted drivers:
http://www.distraction.gov/content/get-the-facts/facts-and-statistics.html
http://www.ihscdea.org/downloads/il_dd_task_force_final_report_08.pdf
