Free Initial Consultations Are Available Now

  1. Home
  2.  → 
  3. Motor Vehicle Accidents
  4.  → Teen drivers and texting not a good mix

Teen drivers and texting not a good mix

Most Kansas City residents are likely aware of issues texting while driving pose. While there are many ways in which someone behind the wheel of a car could be distracted, when cellphones became accessible to the masses, they provided another way in which driver’s attention could be pulled from where it should be, the road. According to some experts, texting is possibly the worst type of distraction since it involves three different types of distractions: mental, visual and manual.

Because of the social aspect that for many goes along with being a teen, it was really only a matter of time before teens texting while driving became an issue. A recent study indicates that it is now the biggest cause of death for teen drivers. The activity now claims more teen lives than teens who drive drunk. Annually, texting while driving claims the lives of approximately 3,000 teens, while around 300 fewer from that demographic die due to drunk driving each year.

In addition to the deaths of teens attributed to texting while driving, even more survive but suffer injuries as a result of a crash. Each year an estimated 300,000 suffer this fate. Sometimes the individuals who suffer these injuries are in another car. In other situations however they are in the same car as the teen who is texting while driving.

Depending on the circumstances surrounding each incident, it is possible that civil lawsuits could be filed. When someone dies as a result of such a crash a wrongful death lawsuit would be proper. When someone is seriously hurt, a personal injury lawsuit could be appropriate. Because both can be complicated, it is best to consult a lawyer who handles such cases sooner rather than later.

Source: Newsday, “Study: Texting while driving now leading cause of death for teen drivers,” Delthia Ricks, May 8, 2013