AT&T Documentary a Reminder of the Dangers of Texting While Driving

Having and using cell phones have become so second nature to many people that they don’t even think twice about talking on the phone, or worse, texting while they drive. The dangers of texting while driving are not new news. According to Distraction.gov, the official U.S. government website for distracted driving, texting while driving creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving with your full attention on the road.

The Worst Kind of Distraction

Texting takes a driver’s mind off of driving, their eyes off the road, and their hands off the wheel. It is a recipe for disaster, but many people believe that the statistics won’t be true for them; that if they just read or send a quick text, nothing will happen and everything will be fine, but this is unfortunately not the case, as is demonstrated in the following AT&T documentary. The lives of each of these people have changed and have even been torn apart due to texting while driving. Please be aware that some of the images and descriptions are graphic.

Dedicated to Helping Victims of Distracted Driving in Massachusetts

At Kiley Law Group, our experienced car accident lawyers in Boston understand how difficult it is to be involved in a distracted driving accident or to lose a loved one as the result of another’s distracted driving, and we are committed to holding negligent drivers accountable for their actions. A text is not worth another person’s life.

If you have been injured or have lost a loved one in a Massachusetts car accident that was caused by texting while driving or another form of distraction, we can help you pursue the compensation you need to get your life back together. To learn more, call us for a free legal consultation at (888) 208-1695.

Distracted Driving Claims Lives in MA Car Accidents

Distracted driving is a major cause for many accidents in the United States. Whether it’s taking calls on their cell phones or texting, snacking in the car or even grooming themselves while driving, the fact of the matter is that these drivers do not pay their full attention to what happens on the road. In some cases, a moment of inattention can cost them their lives.

Inexperienced drivers are especially at risk. Teenagers, who are more likely to own a cell phone than any other part of the population, are also more likely to text while driving. It is no wonder then that there are laws in many states that ban cell phone use while driving, especially for teenage drivers.

Massachusetts Cell Phone While Driving Laws

 

The state of Massachusetts currently bans:

• Texting while driving for all drivers. Fines include $100 for the first offence, then $250 and $500 for each subsequent offence.
• Cell phone use for drivers under 18. The fines are $100 for the first offence, $250 for the second offence and $500 for each subsequent offence, plus license suspensions.
• Cell phone use for school bus operators and other public transit operators. Fines are $500.

Distracted Drivers Cause Accidents

 

Earlier this summer, an 18-year-old driver was sentenced to jail for causing a fatal Massachusetts car accident while texting. The accident claimed the life of a 55-year-old New Hampshire man and seriously injured his girlfriend.

Police found that on the day of the crash the then17-year-old driver, sent 193 text messages, including some just minutes before the accident, and dozens more after it. According to police, his car crossed the center line of the street and collided head-on with the victim's vehicle. The 55-year-old victim was fatally injured and died 18 days later from his injuries.

Another recent Massachusetts car accident was also caused by distracted driving, in this case, from eating and driving. According to The Boston Globe, an 18-year-old female driver was reaching into a bag of fast food when she went through a flashing red light and collided with a trooper’s cruiser. Luckily no one was injured in this accident, but it goes to show that even a small distraction, such as reaching for food, can result in a car accident. She received several citations for her actions.

If You Have Been Injured in a Distracted Driving Accident

 

If you have been injured in a Massachusetts car accident that was caused by someone else’s negligent driving, it is in your best interest to consult with a Boston personal injury attorney about your accident. Depending on the causes behind your accident and the severity of your injuries, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Your attorney will examine all the details surrounding your accident and will determine the best course of legal action to help you secure the compensation you deserve.

 Call (888)208-1695 to schedule your FREE consultation.

Texter Seriously Injured in Hyannis 2-Car Crash

Last Wednesday in Hyannis, a 21-year-old driver’s texting caused him to crash into another vehicle and has left him severely injured. William Hellwig of Marston Mills collided with a pickup truck where Yarmouth Road and Ferndoc Street intersect. First responders had initially requested a helicopter transport for Hellwig, but the weather conditions with the heavy rains would not allow for a flight to occur.

Hellwig’s vehicle crashed into the truck with such force that the truck was pushed into a furniture warehouse, causing damage to part of the building. The condition of the driver of the truck was not immediately available. Part of the street was shut down while police attempted to clear the accident scene. 

The ban on texting while driving in Massachusetts went into effect recently on September 30.

Distracted Driving Statistics
Drivers under the age of 20 who are distracted behind the wheel are most likely to be involved in car accidents that result in a fatality. The next group that is most likely to be involved in fatal accidents is made up of distracted drivers who are aged 20 to 29. In addition, drivers who distract themselves with cell phones or other electronic hand-held devices are four times as likely to seriously injure themselves or others in car accidents.

When should you contact a Massachusetts car accident attorney?
Have you or someone you know been seriously injured in a car accident due to another driver texting in Massachusetts? Want to know if you have a case? Want to know what your case is worth? Want justice? Call the Massachusetts car accident lawyers at Kiley Law Group for a free and professional evaluation of your case at 1-800-410-2769. 

You can also download or request a copy by mail of attorney Thomas M. Kiley's free Massachusetts auto accidents book "The 7 Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Massachusetts Accident Case" now!

DOT Extends Texting Ban to Truck Drivers

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced at a distracted driving conference yesterday that in-state truck drivers who transport hazardous waste will be banned from sending text messages.

The Washington Post reported that the texting ban which prohibited truckers and commercial bus drivers now includes in-state truckers who who deliver gasoline, propane and other hazardous materials.

The extended texting ban is part of ongoing efforts to ban distracted driving and cell phone-related accidents which claim thousands of lives on US roads every year.

A new goal for LaHood is to get private employers to adopt restrictions on their employees' cellphone use.

President Obama a year ago prohibited federal workers from texting while behind the wheel of government vehicles, and from using government-issued cell phones to text even while driving their own cars.

Distracted Driving Fatalities Fall by 6%

This summer Massachusetts joined 29 other states that ban texting and driving. The ban, which comes into effect in October, is aimed at reducing accident fatalities and injuries caused by distracted driving.

In an encouraging turn of events, the US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced yesterday that deaths related to distracted driving fell by 6% in 2009. Injuries stemming from distracted driving accidents declined by 4%, he said.

The news which was reported at the second annual Distracted Driving Summit in Washington, DC, can be connected to the 30 states' initiatives to curb dangerous habits like texting while driving in all drivers, but especially teenagers.

According to the Governors' Highway Safety Association (GHSA), last year alone, 12 states: Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming, have have banned the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving.

Thirty states have now introduced texting & driving bans.

Stateline.org reports that while Congress is yet to ban distracted driving on a national level, the GHSA soon may go a step further and aim for a complete ban on mobile phone use while driving.

"Though the GHSA is little known to the general public, endorsement of a total ban could prove pivotal in swaying the debate over the technology America has come to love and the risk it poses on the roadway," The Washington Post reported.

The GHSA is made up of state highway safety officials from across the nation.

The association will decide on endorsement of a complete ban when its annual meeting begins on Sunday, September 26, the Post said.

See the GHSA website for more information.

C U L8R: Massachusetts Drivers Banned from Texting Next Month

Next month, Massachusetts will become the next state to ban text messaging while driving.

Once September 30 rolls around, Massachusetts is set to be the 29th state to have approved such a ban, which also bars a driver from using the Internet, email, or other applications on a cell phone, laptop, or any other “handheld electronic device.”  Teenagers under the age of 18 will be prohibited from talking on their phones at all while driving.  The ban extends to when drivers are stopped at red lights or stop signs.

There will be an exception: texting will only be allowed in the event of an emergency or if the car is pulled over and in park.  Talking on the cell phone for drivers under the age of 18 will also be allowed if there is an emergency. 

More and more states in the U.S. have added a cell phone or other electronic device distraction category to their motor vehicle crash operator reports.  This new category will track how taking our eyes off the road (for just a second to hit “Send”) can lead to an accident.  One second of distracted driving is one second too long.

If you want to learn more about cell phone bans and legislation in the works across the country, head to this site for more details.

Mass. House Passes Texting and Driving Bill

The Massachusetts state House of Representatives voted almost unanimously (150-1) yesterday to approve a bill that will ban texting while driving.

The bill also bans drivers under 18 from using cell phones while driving, as well as imposes new requirements for senior drivers.

The next step would be for state Senate to approve the bill.

If approved, Massachusetts will join 28 other states and the District of Columbia that already have bans on texting and driving.

Under the bill, motorists caught texting while driving would face a $100 fine for a first offense, $250 for a second offense and a $500 fine for all subsequent offenses, as well as the possibility of suspended driver's license or learner's permit.

You can read more about the texting&driving bill here.

News sources: Boston Herald, MassLive, Eagle Tribune.

NSC Estimates a Quarter of 1.4M Crashes Involve Cell Phones

The National Safety Council (NSC) estimates that a quarter of the 1.4 million crashes in the US involve some kind of cell phone use.

In addition, there are 6,000 fatalities a year caused by distracted driving that link cell phones as the possible reason.

The NSC recently released a white paper focusing on distractions and how the human brain copes with multitasking. The paper, titled, "Understanding the distracted brain: Why driving while using hands-free cell phones is risky behavior" explains the limitations of the brain specifically in terms of driving safely while using a cell phone either to talk, text or email.

Referencing more than 30 scientific studies and reports, the paper describes how using a cell phone, hands-free or handheld not only impairs driving performance, but also weakens the brain's ability to capture driving cues.

For example, drivers who use cell phones have a form of inattention blindness - they have a tendency to "look at" but not "see" up to 50% of their surroundings. Distracted drivers have trouble seeking and identifying potential hazards, and responding to unexpected situations on time. So, it's no wonder that distracted driving is a lethal problem.

Part of the problem is that although most drivers believe using a cell phone while driving is dangerous, still 11% of all drivers are using cell phones, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports.

There are efforts to curbe cell phone use across states, and laws restricting their use while driving are slowly spreading. So far, no state bans all cell phone use by all drivers, but 25 states and the District of Columbia ban all cell phone use by novice drivers.

Also, bus drivers in 18 states (including Massachusetts), and D.C. are banned from using a cell phone when passengers are present.

Further more, 25 states, including New Hampshire, ban texting while driving. However, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, only 7 states and D.C. also ban drivers from talking on handheld devices.

The NSC white paper shows that this is not enough and drivers need to be aware of the dangers they face every time they pick up the phone while driving.

Keeping eyes on the road instead of on their cell phone screen is the safest thing drivers can do to protect their lives, their passengers and other drivers.