Texting While Driving Accident

Texting while driving is an act that requires a driver to take their eyes off the road in order to type or read a text. This is dangerous. Even if a person is occasionally glancing up from their phone to ensure they are staying within their lane, it can take the brain 15 seconds to get back into the task of driving attentively. This means that reaction time is going to be delayed if the driver has to suddenly hit their brakes.

Yes, our smart phones have made our lives easier, but they also require a lot of our attention. However, drivers can make a choice while behind the wheel and that is to not answer that text until the car is parked. It has even been recommended that drivers pull over if they must read or type a text or make a call.

Even with the invention of voice texting, texting while driving hasn’t been made much safer since buttons still have to be touched in order to construct the message and send it. All in all, motorists should completely refrain from operating their phones while driving.

Proving Fault in a Driving While Texting Accident

Over the years, many reports have been released that show the hazards of texting while driving. At Brotherly Law, we have seen the results first hand through our injured clients. After the client was injured, it was found that the person behind the wheel of the other vehicle was looking at their phone. This information can be found by simply looking at the time stamps on texts versus the time the accident happened.

Because of the fact that texts are time stamped and accidents can be pegged to the very minute they happened, it may seem easy to prove fault in a driving while texting accident. However, that is not always the case since the defendant could say their passenger was doing the texting when witnesses state it was the driver who was performing the negligent act.

Other witness statements, traffic cameras, accident scene reconstruction, and the victim statement are tools that can be used to prove fault. Just because it may seem difficult to prove whether or not the driver may have been the one constructing the texts doesn’t mean that it can’t be done. With an experienced attorney from Brotherly Law working by your side, there is hope.

Facts about Texting while Driving

There are some interesting facts about driving and texting at the same time. Consider this:

• An unimpaired driver takes around .54 seconds to brake and, in most cases, this is plenty of time.
• A legally drunk driver takes .54 seconds to brake plus four feet. That four feet can be the difference between hitting another vehicle and not hitting it.
• A driver who is texting while driving takes the normal .54 seconds plus 70 feet and, usually, there is an average of 20 feet between the texting driver and the vehicle in front of them.

Current studies have shown that people who text and drive, talk on their cell phone, and do other tasks are at a higher risk for causing an accident. When a driver is reading a text message, they literally forget about driving. The University of Utah did a study that showed those who text and drive crash more because of their slower response time to the brake lights on the cars ahead of them. The study also showed avoidance maneuvers were performed slower than drivers who simply talked on their cell phones while behind the wheel.

Contact an Experienced Texting and Driving Accident Attorney

Texting while driving is a very serious act, as it has become one of the most common types of distracted driving. It is also a deadly act, resulting in fatalities on Pennsylvania’s roads. If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident caused by someone who was texting and driving, Brotherly Law can help you with your injury claim. By filing a solid claim, you increase your chances of recovering meaningful compensation that will pay the monetary damages you have suffered. To learn more about how we can help you, call us at (215) 545-8500 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.