In 2017 alone, over 37,000 people were KILLED in the United States in distraction-related wrecks.
That’s drunk driving, texting, talking on the phone, reading an email, etc. It does not even include speed-related crashes or other deaths on the highways.
In a 2009 study, Car and Driver Magazine found that someone sending a text, who realized they need to stop their vehicle, took 70 feet more to stop then a driver with a .08 blood alcohol level (that’s a DUI in every state.)
In the same study, someone who was just reading an email or text took 36 feet more than the drunk driver to stop.
When CNBC had one of their reporters participate in a repeat of the study, it took him four times longer to brake while texting than if he’d been drunk.
This study was done in 2009 when texting was limited to 160 characters. Today’s cell phones allow up to 1600 hundred characters, or TEN TIMES the amount allowed for text during the study.
As recently as 2017, the results were still astonishing. The U.S. Department of Transportation tells us that people are still texting and emailing while driving at incredible numbers, and those numbers are just the ones who admit it or get caught. The reported numbers are likely only a faction of the real danger on the roads.
If you or a loved one are hurt by someone texting and driving, don’t stand for it, and don’t let the insurance companies give you the brush-off. Texting and driving is a ground for punitive damages, and pursing those damages is one of the only ways to make the roads safer for everyone. Our lawyers know how to get this done, and how to work with you to pursue your claim while protecting your community.
Contact us by calling 919-348-4361 or click here to arrange a free, no-risk evaluation. We’ve got your back.
