Experts at the Centers for Disease Control estimate that nine people die each day from distracted driving car accidents. In addition, more than 1,000 people are injured every single day in car crashes where distracted driving is listed as a cause in the police report. This estimate may be low, since not all crashes that occur as a result of distracted driving are reported as such.
Victims of distracted driving accidents have the right to be compensated for their injuries, whether that means being reimbursed for current medical bills or lost income or looking further into the future and getting compensation for the long term costs of an injury.
Distracted driving is a definition that covers various types of negligent behavior, such as using a cell phone to make a call, texting while behind the wheel, eating while driving, fiddling with the radio, or adjusting a navigation system. Among these types of distractions, texting is generally considered to be the most hazardous to public safety.
There has been a significant effort by public safety advocates to try to stop drivers from texting or reading emails behind the wheel, including the passage of laws banning the behavior and increased enforcement efforts. However, the United States still has one of the highest percentages of drivers who admit to using their cellphone while driving, at 69 percent. Rates of distracted driving abroad are substantially lower, ranging from about 21 percent of adult drivers to 59 percent of adult drivers in different parts of Europe.
Source: Washington Post, “Distracted driving: 9 die, 1,060 hurt each day, CDC says,” Ashley Halsey III, February 24, 2014.
