Anyone in Kentucky who travels the Dixie Highway with any regularity knows that it sees a disproportionately high number of accidents. The causes of those crashes include any number of factors, ranging from impairment to distracted driving. One of those distractions proves more dangerous than others: texting.
Because texting requires your brain, your hands and your eyes, you might as well be in a self-driving car when you do it behind the wheel. The roadway and traffic can change into a deadly landscape while you read or type a text. Virginia Tech Transportation Institute conducted a study that revealed that it takes approximately 4.6 seconds to read or send a text on average. That might not seem like a lot of time, but if you are going 55 mph, that's the length of a football field.
Consider the Following Facts
The following facts illustrate the dangers presented by texting and driving:
- Data indicates that, as of Dec. 2015, people here in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Territories sent somewhere in the neighborhood of 156.7 billion texts every month.
- Approximately 75 percent of participants in a 2015 survey by Erie Insurance said they witnessed other drivers texting.
- Around 33 percent also admitted that they have texted or do text while driving.
- Data indicates that 3,477 people died in crashes involving a texting driver in 2015. During that same year, approximately 391,000 people suffered injuries in collisions involving texting as well.
- The largest number of distracted drivers is between the ages of 15 and 19.
- Drivers in their 20s make up almost one-quarter of those involved in fatal accidents. This group also represents approximately 33 percent of drivers on their cell phones during those crashes.
Other statistics, research and studies continue to prove that texting and driving don't mix. In fact, the number of drivers distracted by their cell phones and other activities only seems to continue to grow. That means that more and more innocent motorists are at risk of suffering serious injuries or dying because another driver's communications couldn't wait.
Did a Crash Involving a Texting Driver Injure You?
If you were one of those innocent motorists, you probably incurred, and continue to incur, financial losses such as lost income and medical costs associated with the accident. Not only do you worry about your recovery, but you also worry about how you will pay for your medical needs and your bills. A certain measure of anxiety grips you as you wonder how to support your family. Losing a loved one can cause the same.
Kentucky law allows you to seek compensation for your injuries or the death of your loved one. Having the right and exercising it are often two different things, however. Understanding the applicable laws, what you must prove to the court and the evidence that establishes the other driver's negligence often presents a significant challenge. Then, if you prevail in your claim, you need to know what damages you may recover and what evidence supports your request.
Personal injury attorneys deal with these issues routinely. You may benefit from their knowledge and experience as you try to put your life back together.
