Anyone who hasn’t heard all of the commotion being made over texting and driving has likely been living under a rock for the last few years. Several studies have shown the dangers of texting while driving, yet many people still choose to engage in the activity. Not all states have codified this knowledge into law, but there is a growing movement to do so. Regardless of whether a state has made the practice illegal or not, texting and driving is unsafe for everybody.
Dangers of Texting while Driving
The main statistic motivating the implementation of texting while driving laws is that answering a text requires an average of five seconds of distraction. While on the highways, these five seconds equate to driving the length of a football field without paying attention to the road. Several other studies have equated the dangers related to texting while driving to the dangers related to driving under the influence.
Further studies have shown that in 2009, eighteen percent of fatal crashes that involved ‘distracted driving’ were attributed to cell phone use. Our Philadelphia injury attorney reminds us that this figure only includes the people who were caught or admitted to using a cell phone, so the number could be much higher.
Unfortunately, many of these accidents are caused by teens. Teens are actually more likely than others to engage in texting while driving, and unfortunately, research has shown that texting teens spend ten percent of their driving time outside of the lane they’re supposed to be in.
State Texting and Driving Laws
More and more states are passing laws against texting and driving each day. Ohio in fact just enacted its ban on texting while driving on August 31, 2012. This actually makes Ohio the thirty-ninth state to impose an outright ban on texting while driving. Most states have a warning period where they only give warning citations to drivers who are texting; Ohio is following suit by providing a warning period of six months.
Just because eleven states don’t have outright bans on texting and driving doesn’t mean that they don’t recognize the dangers involved. Of the eleven states that don’t have complete texting and driving bans, five have bans on texting for younger drivers, and three of these five states have bans on school bus drivers who want to text while driving. While laws don’t exist in every state to outlaw this unsafe practice, the nation is slowly moving in that direction.
Texting while driving provides different penalties depending on where a person is caught engaging in the activity. A texting while driving ticket usually only causes a person to be fined, but this isn’t always the case. Utah has one of the strictest laws involving texting and driving. A person caught texting while driving in the state actually faces a seven-hundred fifty dollar fine and up to three months in jail.
If a person causes the death of another due to their negligent texting, they will face far more serious consequences. Again referencing Utah, if someone causes the death of another driver due to their texting and driving, that driver will face a ten-thousand dollar fine and fifteen years in prison. Getting a quick text out to a friend simply isn’t worth it.
Texting while driving is a dangerous activity to engage in. It can cause serious car accidents in which the texting driver will be considered negligent. Penalties are slowly increasing in the states that have driver texting laws, and depending on the outcome of an accident, they driver could be arrested for manslaughter. It is just safer for everyone if a person can wait until they stop to send out a text.
Shelby Warden is a legal researcher that contributes articles for the Philadelphia injury attorney team of McMahon, McMahon & Lentz. Their firm believes that if you’ve been injured in an auto accident caused by someone else, you shouldn’t have to worry about how your medical bills and other damages will be paid. If you reach out to McMahon, McMahon & Lentz for help, one of their expert injury attorneys will fight to get you the compensation you deserve.
Dangers of Texting while Driving
The main statistic motivating the implementation of texting while driving laws is that answering a text requires an average of five seconds of distraction. While on the highways, these five seconds equate to driving the length of a football field without paying attention to the road. Several other studies have equated the dangers related to texting while driving to the dangers related to driving under the influence.
Further studies have shown that in 2009, eighteen percent of fatal crashes that involved ‘distracted driving’ were attributed to cell phone use. Our Philadelphia injury attorney reminds us that this figure only includes the people who were caught or admitted to using a cell phone, so the number could be much higher.
Unfortunately, many of these accidents are caused by teens. Teens are actually more likely than others to engage in texting while driving, and unfortunately, research has shown that texting teens spend ten percent of their driving time outside of the lane they’re supposed to be in.
State Texting and Driving Laws
More and more states are passing laws against texting and driving each day. Ohio in fact just enacted its ban on texting while driving on August 31, 2012. This actually makes Ohio the thirty-ninth state to impose an outright ban on texting while driving. Most states have a warning period where they only give warning citations to drivers who are texting; Ohio is following suit by providing a warning period of six months.
Just because eleven states don’t have outright bans on texting and driving doesn’t mean that they don’t recognize the dangers involved. Of the eleven states that don’t have complete texting and driving bans, five have bans on texting for younger drivers, and three of these five states have bans on school bus drivers who want to text while driving. While laws don’t exist in every state to outlaw this unsafe practice, the nation is slowly moving in that direction.
Texting while driving provides different penalties depending on where a person is caught engaging in the activity. A texting while driving ticket usually only causes a person to be fined, but this isn’t always the case. Utah has one of the strictest laws involving texting and driving. A person caught texting while driving in the state actually faces a seven-hundred fifty dollar fine and up to three months in jail.
If a person causes the death of another due to their negligent texting, they will face far more serious consequences. Again referencing Utah, if someone causes the death of another driver due to their texting and driving, that driver will face a ten-thousand dollar fine and fifteen years in prison. Getting a quick text out to a friend simply isn’t worth it.
Texting while driving is a dangerous activity to engage in. It can cause serious car accidents in which the texting driver will be considered negligent. Penalties are slowly increasing in the states that have driver texting laws, and depending on the outcome of an accident, they driver could be arrested for manslaughter. It is just safer for everyone if a person can wait until they stop to send out a text.
Shelby Warden is a legal researcher that contributes articles for the Philadelphia injury attorney team of McMahon, McMahon & Lentz. Their firm believes that if you’ve been injured in an auto accident caused by someone else, you shouldn’t have to worry about how your medical bills and other damages will be paid. If you reach out to McMahon, McMahon & Lentz for help, one of their expert injury attorneys will fight to get you the compensation you deserve.
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