The dangers of distracted driving

Many Missouri residents are likely guilty of driving while distracted at some point in their life. Distractions include cellphone use, other personal electronic devices or distracting conditions in one’s car instead of paying attention to the road. The result of this trend is an increasing national accident rate. Many of these accidents prove to be fatal.

A 2014 estimate from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates that as many as nine people lose their lives because of an automobile accident involving a distracted driver every day. There are also 1,153 injuries under similar circumstances daily. Drivers under the age of 20 were disproportionately involved in these accidents.

The numbers have been climbing steadily in recent years. The year 2012 yielded a 9-percent increase in accidents from 2011. Distracted driving accidents represented approximately 17 percent of all injury-causing accidents in that year. Studies conducted in Europe show that texting or talking on the phone while behind the wheel was more common in the U.S. A survey showed that at least 31 percent of all drivers in America between the ages of 18 and 64 were willing to admit that they talked on their phone while they were in the act of driving within 30 days of the survey.

A car accident has the potential to cause severe physical and economic harm to those who are involved. In addition to property damage, medical expenses and an inability to get back to work might leave a victim and their family with several burdens. The advice of a lawyer may prove to be beneficial to anyone who seeks to recover financial redress for the pain and suffering that resulted from their injury.