If only Florida drivers had made the same kind of progress!
The sad reality is that the electronic technology that allowed our cars to be safer also gave drivers access to many distractions. We used to drive cars in which we'd be occasionally distracted fumbling with a folded road map or spilling coffee, but today's passenger cars now seem to combine home entertainment and the office cubicle.
With GPS programming, sending and reading emails, posting messages on Facebook or Googling a nearby restaurant, some drivers don't seem to have much time or attention left to do the actual driving, with catastrophic results:
- According to the NHTSA, 16 percent of injury crashes involved distracted driving;
- In 2009, 5,474 people were killed and 448,000 injured due to distracted driving;
- The under-20 age group has by far the greatest proportion of distracted drivers;
- Using a cell phone while driving has the same effect as driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent.
Statistics do not tell the true story. Figures do not reflect the tragedy of losing a loved one because someone was trying to post a silly reply to a silly Twitter message.
You can't pretend to be driving if you:
- Take your eyes off the road;
- Take your hands off the wheel;
- Take your mind off what you are doing.
What is more, at 60 mph your car travels about 90 yards in 3 seconds, the time you would need for a quick glance at your inbox on your smart phone. More than enough distance to crash into an obstacle, veer off into another lane, cross the median, or fail to see a stop sign.
If you have been hurt in a car accident caused by a distracted driver, call the Daytona Beach attorneys of Johnson & Gilbert PA today toll free at (800) 556-8890 and locally at (386) 673-4412 or fill out the form on this page for a free consultation.