It is unlikely that anyone needs to tell you just how dangerous texting behind the wheel can be. Nevertheless, far too many drivers embrace this practice, and they make our roadways more dangerous for all who travel on them.
Considering the Numbers
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shares that in 2019 alone, distracted driving led to 3,142 traffic fatalities, and while there are plenty of distractions out there, NHTSA relays that texting is the most alarming among them. Consider the following:
Texting weaves all three categories of distraction – physical, visual, and cognitive – into one whopper of a distraction.
When a texting motorist spends the average of five seconds that it takes to read or send a text (when traveling at highway speeds), he or she drives virtually blind for about the length of a football field.
The risk associated with texting and driving is simply too great.
Accidents Commonly Associated with Texting
While a texting driver can cause virtually any kind of car accident, there are certain kinds that are most commonly associated.
Rear-End Accidents
Rear-end accidents are as common as they are dangerous, and texting drivers are common culprits. When a motorist is texting, he or she cannot pay adequate attention to the road and the traffic ahead (no matter how often he or she glances up for good measure). If traffic patterns change or the forward car needs to slow down for any reason, a driver who is deeply involved in a text is much less likely to react safely, and a rear-end accident can easily happen.
T-Bone Accidents
T-bone accidents are those incredibly dangerous accidents that happen when one vehicle barrels into the side of another, and texting is a common cause. Because the sides of our vehicles lack the buffer zones that their fronts (hoods) and backs (trunks) have, the impact and attendant danger tends to be immense. T-bone accidents are most common in intersections, and texting motorists are notorious for scooting through intersections without paying adequate attention.
Sideswipe Accidents
A sideswipe accident happens when a motorist drifts or darts into another lane and swipes another car’s side in the process. Texting can lead to all kinds of distracted practices, and vehicle drift is one of them. One factor that can make sideswipe accidents even more dangerous is that they can send struck vehicles blasting out of their lanes – causing a series of dangerous events in their wake.
Reach out to an Experienced Killeen Personal Injury Attorney Today
If a texting driver causes you to be injured in a car accident, look no further than the professional legal counsel of Brett Pritchard at The Law Office of Brett H. Pritchard in Killeen, Texas. Mr. Pritchard is a trusted personal injury attorney who is committed to skillfully advocating for your rights – in pursuit of just compensation that addresses your physical, financial, and emotional damages in their entirety. To learn more, please do not hesitate to contact or call us at 254-501-4040 today.
RELATED READING