Texting while driving has been shown to be fraught with danger. Experts have compared texting while driving at 55 miles per hour to driving across a football field with your eyes closed. Such an action exposes all those around you with potential injury or death. According to the National Safety Council, using a cell phone while driving has led to 1.6 million traffic wrecks every year. This results in nearly 390,000 injuries annually. One out of every four accidents in this country is caused by a driver who is texting. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reported that those killed in texting while driving accidents include drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and bicyclists.
Texting while driving falls under the general term of “distracted driving.” This term refers to anything that pulls a driver’s attention away from the road and/or the task of driving. According to the National Safety Council, texting while driving is the most dangerous of all distracted driving behaviors. These behaviors can also include reading maps, adjusting GPS systems and other in-car devices, personal grooming, dealing with kids and pets, eating and drinking, and more. Any activity that you engage in that is not pertinent to driving poses a potential risk of harm to yourself, your passengers, and others on the road.
Injured by a texting driver in Chattanooga? Turn to Conner & Roberts, PLLC at (423) 299-4489 to speak with a lawyer in a free consultation.
Why Texting While Driving Is So Dangerous
According to experts, when you read or write a text, you take your eyes off the road for an average time of five seconds. We all know that traffic accidents can occur in a matter of a few seconds – a blink of the eye, it seems. So sending or reading a text is more than enough time to get into a traffic crash. While texting, for example, you may not see a car ahead of you put on the brakes and thus you may wind up rear-ending that vehicle. You may miss someone turning on his blinker to make a left turn ahead of you or you may sideswipe a car that is changing lanes ahead of you.
Tennessee Laws Regarding Texting While Driving
In our state, texting while driving (with your car in motion) is against the law. It is also against the law to use a cell phone for both speaking with someone else or texting someone else when you are driving in a school zone. Tennessee does, however, allow texting if your car is completely stopped, such as at red light or while sitting in traffic. However, most traffic safety agencies recommend no texting at all while behind the wheel under any circumstances. This is because even the seemingly “safe” exceptions to the ban on texting can lead to abuses. The only time you should text or use your cell phone while in traffic is during an actual emergency, such as when you need to call 911.
Have You or Someone You Know Been Injured by a Distracted Driver?
Distracted driving, especially texting while driving, is negligent driving. When you are injured due to someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing, such as in a car accident caused by a texting driver, you have a legal right to compensation. If you or someone you know has sustained injuries in a traffic accident in or around Chattanooga, we highly recommend that you work with one of our team.
Handling your legal claim against the tactics of insurance companies who want to pay you as little as possible is what we do. We take aggressive action against such companies to help you get full and fair compensation for all of your damages, including medical expenses, lost wages, property damage to your vehicle, pain and suffering, and other applicable losses. Don’t agree to any settlements with an insurance representative until you talk to Conner & Roberts, PLLC.
Contact us at (423) 299-4489 to set up a free consultation about your injury case today.