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Distracted Driving Causes Car Accidents
Thousands of people die every year in distracted driving accidents, and hundreds of thousands are injured. This is a growing problem in Michigan which is only getting worse. If you are texting while driving you are three times as likely to get into an auto accident as when you have put the phone away.
Distracted driving leads to serious motor vehicle accidents. During the average 5 seconds it takes to send a text, a driver on the highway can cross an entire football field. While 5 seconds doesn’t seem very long, a car making a quick lane change or a sudden turn or reverse could mean the difference between life and death.
Younger drivers are at particularly high risk for a distracted driving accident. Nearly half of all teens with cell phones admit to texting while driving. One-third call texting while driving easy. Even so, one in ten crashes involving drivers under age 20 involved a cell phone.
Because the drivers in these types of accidents are so distracted, they are often unaware of what their surroundings and road conditions are. Impacts are often at higher speeds than other accidents on the same roadways. The higher the speed, the more likely a car crash will result in serious injuries – distracted driving accidents are especially likely to result in death or disability.
The attorneys here at Christensen Law know how to handle these difficult cases. We help victims of distracted driving accidents obtain benefits from their Michigan no-fault insurance provider and establish a case against the at-fault, distracted driver.
If you have been seriously injured, the ability to prove another driver is at fault can be the difference between a few years of coverage and a comfortable recovery. While your insurance may cover some of your medical expenses, wage loss is limited to three years. If you have suffered a permanent disability, you will need far more than that to survive. That is why a third-party lawsuit against the distracted driver is so important. It can help you cover your living expenses, lost wages, and other non-economic damages that you suffer because of the accident.
The best way to stop distracted driving accidents isn’t a lawsuit, however. It’s about education as well as legislation. Texting while driving is illegal in Michigan, but most people still do it. The best way to stop distracted driving from affecting our state’s younger drivers is for passengers to speak up. Half of all adults have been a passenger while someone was driving distracted. By speaking up and offering to respond for them or suggesting a text can wait, you can prevent an accident, and save lives.
If you are ready to take the next step, you can also take a pledge to never text and drive, and even download an app that disables your phone while you are behind the wheel. Committing to putting the phone away and avoiding distracted driving could save lives, including your own.
Our Annual Distracted Driving Scholarship contest is one way we are committed to helping raise awareness among the most vulneable young drivers. Visit our scholarship page to learn more; you may win a $1,500 scholarship grant towards college costs.
