A March 2018 survey of traffic behavior and attitudes in the United States has claimed that self-reported phone use while driving has skyrocketed since 2013. Ironically, the research also reveals that the vast majority of the people who were surveyed consider distracted driving to be a major danger for everyone on the road. Drivers across New York are at greater risk of a collision if they are distracted by their mobile devices while driving.
The study, which was authored by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, was created to highlight attitudes and behaviors regarding traffic safety. The survey data comes from information provided by over 2,600 drivers across the United States that have reported to have driven in the past 30 days.
Nearly half of the respondents to the AAA survey reported talking on a handheld phone or reading a text message while driving in the last 30 days. Over a third of the people who were surveyed reported having sent a text or an e-mail while behind the wheel. These results mark a 46 percent increase in self-reported distracted driving since 2013. Talking on a phone while driving increases a person’s risk of getting into an accident by four times. Texting or e-mailing while driving makes a crash eight times more likely to happen. With over 37,000 fatalities on American highways each year, it’s clear that distracted driving is a highway hazard that can’t be ignored.
Someone who has been injured in a car accident that was caused by a distracted driver can face serious consequences. An attorney with experience in personal injury law may be able to help that person recover monetary damages for his or her medical bills, pain and suffering and lost wages. A lawyer also may be able to negotiate a settlement for those damages with the responsible party or his or her insurance carrier.