Phoenix accident lawyers representing clients injured by distracted driving-related collisions throughout Arizona, including Glendale, Tucson, and Yuma and Chandler.
If you have come to this page because you were injured in a car crash caused by a motorist who texting and driving, you are not alone.
Distracted driving is the cause of about 16 percent of all crashes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that in 2009, nearly 5,500 people died and half a million were injured in crashes involving distracted drivers. And the biggest distraction of them all is texting. If you or a loved one have been involved in an accident that was the result of the distracted driving behavior of another driver, contact one of our Phoenix, AZ texting and driving accident lawyers for a free legal consultation.
FACTS AND FIGURES ABOUT TEXTING & DRIVING
Eighty-three percent of all adults in the United States now own cell phones. A recent study from the Pew Research Center has shown that the majority of American adults say they prefer text messaging over direct verbal communication! Pew’s Internet & American Life Project found that 73 percent of those cell phone users send and receive text messages. No one should be very surprised to hear that cell phone use and even worse, texting, have become major causes of driver distraction. Below are the results of several studies that have examined the problem of texting and driving:
- A study published in the American Journal of Public Health reported that from 2001 to 2007, an estimated 16,000 Americans died as a result of texting and driving. With SmartPhones now in common use, the problem is growing and can be expected to continue.
- A recent study at Texas A&M University tested the effects of texting while driving using actual vehicles (rather than a simulator) and found that reaction times slowed from one second with no texting activity to three to four seconds while texting.
- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found that drivers take their eyes off the road for around 4.6 seconds when texting. In that time, traveling 55 MPH, a driver would cross the length of a football field without looking at the road ahead.
- Car and Driver Magazine conducted a road test on a deserted airstrip. They tested a driver at 70 MPH who was sober, then when his blood alcohol was .08 (legally drunk), again when reading an email, and finally when sending a text message. The driver was given a flashing red signal requiring him to brake. Unimpaired, his reaction time to brake was .54 of a second. Legally drunk, it took him 4 extra feet of travel time to brake. Reading an email took 36 additional feet, and sending a text added 70 feet.
TEXTING LAWS IN ARIZONA
There is no state-wide texting ban for drivers in Arizona, but the city of Phoenix does prohibit texting and driving. Fines are $100, or $250 if texting causes an accident. Tucson has passed a similar anti-texting law. If you or someone you love have suffered serious injuries as a result of being involved in an accident that was the result of distracted driving, contact an experienced Phoenix, AZ distracted driving collision lawyer for a free legal consultation.
PHOENIX DISTRACTED DRIVING ATTORNEYS CAN HELP
If you’ve suffered a loss as a result of a crash caused by a distracted driver, you should consult an experienced Phoenix car accident attorney to make a claim for monetary recovery.
Wattel & York Phoenix, AZ texting & driving lawyers work with people every day who have suffered from serious and life-changing injuries or the death of a family member because of distracted drivers who could not live up to their legal responsibility to stay focused and attentive to the task of driving. These drivers have acted without concern for the well-being of others, and we believe they must be held responsible for the damage they’ve caused.
Call today to schedule a free no-obligation evaluation of your case. We work for you with no upfront payment, and you pay nothing unless we win.
