Car Accidents and Cell Phones

For most drivers, talking on a cell phone while behind the wheel is commonplace.  Each minute, an estimated one million Americans are logging miles behind the wheel while on their cellular phones, according to the NHTSA.  However, these actions are illegal in some counties and states, while in all cases, contribute a significant amount of distraction to drivers behind the wheel, which increases the probability that an accident will occur and injuries may be sustained.

Aside from injuring themselves, drivers talking on their cell phones pose a heightened risk to all other individuals in their vicinity, including passengers, other drivers, their passengers, and even, pedestrians.  Incidents involving car accidents causing injuries that were directly attributed to cell phone use while driving are rising rapidly, and according to the federal government, an estimated two thousand, five hundred deaths on the road are caused by cell phone use, as well as an additional three hundred and thirty thousand more injuries.  

Some statistics and facts regarding driver cell phone use and car accidents include:

• Drivers using a cell phone statistically take twenty percent longer to stop than non-cellular users on the road
  
• Multiple studies have produced evidence that driving while talking on a cell phone promotes a level of impairment similar to that of an individual with a blood alcohol content of 0.08%, or otherwise, legally drunk behind the wheel
• Drivers using cell phones while driving are four times as likely to be injured during an automobile accident

Cell phone users often cite hands-free and other Bluetooth communication devices as a means of reducing risks for drivers.  However, modern research shows that the actual act of holding a phone is much less harmful than the mental task of making conversation on the phone. 

Can I Receive Compensation for Car Accidents Involving Cell Phones?

Personal injury attorneys working with auto accident victims regularly represent claims where an individual suffers injuries and other damages due to another driving being impaired by cell phone use at the time of the crash.  Have an attorney review the evidence and documentation surrounding your car accident to determine if you are entitled to compensation.  Typically, consultations are free and sound legal advice can be obtained regarding receiving money for medical bills, car repairs, lost wages, pain, suffering, and a host of other economic and non-economic damages, if applicable to your case.