Car Accidents Caused By Texting And Driving

March 2, 2015

Car accidents caused by texting and driving

Many car accidents happen because of negligence. That’s a simple fact. Driving drunk is a clear case of negligence. It’s widely understood that drinking and driving is dangerous for both the driver who imbibes and others with whom he or she shares the road. What many people do not know is that texting and driving is now being viewed by many experts as more dangerous than drinking and driving, causing a large percentage of car accidents throughout the United States and here in Western Pennsylvania. A study from last year found that texting and driving for the new number one cause of death while driving.

To be clear, people should understand that texting while driving is dangerous by now because it’s all over television and social media. For a variety of reasons however, people don’t follow the rules and many still do not consider texting-while-driving just as if not more dangerous than drinking and driving.

The goal is to make texting and driving a socially unacceptable activity. The stigma around drunk driving should be the same around texting and driving. While people are becoming aware of the illegality of it, the societal pressures to not engage in texting and driving are out there but must mount a great deal more before we start seeing a change. Another reason is the compulsivity that many display in relation to their phones. For some, the receiving a text elevates dopamine levels and leads them to feel pleasure and pressure to look. Others fail to acknowledge that the activity is dangerous. They assume that because they have done it without a bad result in the past, it’s alright.

Those who struggle from the behavior could benefit from one of the various applications that dissuade people from looking at their phones while driving by deactivating features like texting and answering calls without Bluetooth.

The problem of texting-while-driving is not going away, as research indicates. However, if you have been injured by someone who is texting and driving, you may have a lawsuit against that person and his or her insurance company. Please call the Pittsburgh personal injury attorneys at Goodrich & Geist, P.C. today for a free consultation at 800-806-2456.