Distracted driving presents a growing threat to public safety on U.S. roads. To highlight just how big of a threat this driver misbehavior is, transportation authorities across the nation have dedicated the month of April to support Distracted Driving Awareness.
This national campaign, which is focused on encouraging all motorists to commit to focusing on the road/driving when behind the wheel, is intended to reduce distracted driving crashes and save lives.
Elucidating the concerns authorities have about distracted driving – and why they are using this month to step up deterrence and education efforts, Dr. Mark Rosekind, an administrator at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTHSA), has explained:
Lives are at stake on our highways. NHTSA wants to drive behavior change, stop bad habits, and encourage safe driving… People need to understand the potential price of distracted driving. The cost of a ticket is nothing, compared to the irrevocable cost of taking someone’s life
To back up this effort and help motorists really understand the dangers, below, we have disclosed some of the latest findings1 about distracted driving in the U.S.
The Latest Findings & Facts Related to the Distracted Driving Problem in the U.S.
- Nearly 3,200 people in the U.S. were killed in distracted driving accidents in 2014.2
- That same year, at least 431,000 people were injured in distracted driving accidents.
- Distracted drivers are about 6 times more likely than drunk drivers to be involved in traffic collisions.
- After a driver is distracted by something, it can take as long as 27 seconds for his attention to fully return to the task of driving.
- Although distractions for motorists can come in various forms, use of cellphones behind the wheel is one of the primary forms of distractions for modern American motorists.
- Use of hands-free devices is just as distracting as the use of hand-held devices for drivers. This is because both devices can cause “inattention blindness,” a phenomenon that prevents motorists from perceiving the things they are actually looking at (because their attention/focal point is on a conversation, rather than the road).
Contact an East Brunswick Car Accident Lawyer at Mayo & Russ
If you or someone you love has been hurt by a distracted driver – or has been harmed in any type of traffic collision, contact an East Brunswick car accident lawyer at Mayo & Russ for more information about your options for financial recovery and justice.
For more than 20 years, the trusted attorneys at Mayo & Russ have been dedicated to aggressively advocating the rights of those who have been harmed by negligence.
To find out more about our services and how we can help you with your financial recovery, call us at (732) 613-3100 or toll free at (888) MAYO-LAW. You can also email our firm via the drop-down contact form at the top of this page. Initial consultations are free, and we do not charge any legal fees until or unless compensation is secured.
From offices based in East Brunswick, our attorneys provide the highest quality legal services to people through New Jersey, as well as nationwide.
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1: All findings are from the NHTSA.
2: The most recent year for which complete statistics are available.
