The term distracted driving has been more frequently used with the widespread use of cellular phones by drivers and with the passing of laws in many states to ban the dangerous use of this device while behind the wheel. Distracted driving can include the wide range of activities that may draw a driver’s attention away from the road, such as cell phone use, eating, or talking to a passenger. According to reuters.com, the more prevalent use of cell phones specifically led the Texas A & M University’s Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) to conduct a study on the dangers of texting and e-mailing while driving, leading them to some alarming conclusions.
The team at the TTI had 42 drivers of varying ages drive a test track course while sending text messages and reading them as well, then driving the course focused only on the road, and recording their reaction times when told to stop at a flashing yellow light. The team discovered that the drivers’ reaction time doubled when they were texting, reading a text, e-mailing, or checking Facebook, making it more difficult to respond to sudden roadway hazards. They also found that texting drivers were more likely to swerve in their lane and reading or sending a text message were both equally dangerous undertakings.
A 2009 report issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that 16 percent of fatal crashes and 20 percent of injury crashes in 2009 involved distracted driving, with cell phones being the primary distraction. Though Tennessee enacted a text messaging ban in July of 2009 and cell phone use is restricted for certain drivers (such as those operating buses), this unfortunately does not guarantee your safety on the roads.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident due to the negligence of another driver, the skilled distracted driving accident attorneys in Chattanooga with Massey & Associates, P.C. can help. For a complimentary review of your case, please call (423) 396-0720.
Gary Massey, Jr., is a well-known courtroom advocate practicing law in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Gary is a native of Tennessee who began practicing law in 1998. He graduated from Cumberland School of Law where he was ranked in the top 3% of his class and was an editor of the Cumberland Law Review.
