The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says distracted drivers killed 3,177 people in 2017.
“Distracted driving” is anything that takes your attention away from safely operating your vehicle.
According to the NHTSA, “texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.”
Imagine driving the length of a football field while blindfolded, and you get the idea. Even when you look up, it takes time for your brain to process where you are and what’s happening. That combination in how terrible collisions happen and how people are terribly injured or killed.
The NHTSA says that about 2.9% of drivers are KNOWN to be using a cell phone for texting, talking, or emailing while they drive. That number sounds small, but that’s 2.9% of millions of people on the road, so if only 10 million people are driving on a given day, that means that THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND of them are driving while distracted by a cell phone. This number also ONLY reflects people who will admit it or who are caught doing it. The number is likely much higher.
North Carolina law specifically prohibits texting and driving, yet we still see cases involving it all the time. Our award-winning lawyers have the experience and knowledge to fight for your rights after you’ve been hurt by someone who was texting and driving.
Don’t let insurance companies con you into thinking that texting and driving is okay, or that you are entitled to less of a recovery because “everyone does it.” Everyone DOES NOT do it, it’s illegal, and you have rights that the insurance company won’t tell you about. Contact us today by clicking here for a free, no-risk consultation or call us at 919-438-4361.
