Dangers of Texting and Driving

Did you know that if you attempt to text and drive, you are 23 times more likely to have an accident than a non-distracted driver.

In 2024, an estimated 315,167 people were injured in traffic crashes involving distracted drivers.

In 2024, 6% of drivers aged 15-20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted.

More than 3,208 people lost their lives in 2024 alone as a result of distracted driving.

Texting while driving has quickly become a National Epidemic. In 2024, about 9 individuals were killed every day in crashes involving distracted drivers.

Every individual that Text and Drives already k that it is a reckless disregard for safety of others and themselves, but regardless they continue.

Day in and Day out, block after block, mile after mile, unnecessary death after unnecessary death. We as citizens, must stand up and say enough is enough.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.

In 2024, an estimated 12% of all police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes were reported as distraction-affected, and an estimated 32,327 people were injured in crashes involving cellphone use or other cellphone-related activities. This national epidemic causes untold physical and mental pain, suffering and loss of lives.

Economic damages of $340 billion annually have been caused by motor vehicle crashes.

To text while driving is illegal in 49 states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. territories. It is a conscious choice to needlessly place the lives of others at a substantially increased danger and at a substantially increased risk of serious bodily injury or death.

The use of a cell phone to talk, or to text, while driving is a very selfish, unsafe and highly reckless act.

According to the USDOT, distracted driving caused by texting comes can be identified in three main are:

• Manual Distraction-the driver takes his hands off of the steering wheel while driving;
• Cognitive Distraction--the driver takes his mind off of the driving activity while driving;
• Visual Distraction-the driver takes his eyes off of the road while driving.
• Texting while driving is especially dangerous because it also involves all three of the main distractions...simultaneously!

Oftentimes, an otherwise preventable crash will then occur.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a "preventable accident" is one which occurs because the driver fails to act in a reasonably expected manner to prevent it. In judging whether the driver's actions were reasonable, one seeks to determine whether the driver drove defensively and demonstrated an acceptable level of skill and knowledge. The judgment of what is reasonable can be based on a company-adopted definition, thus establishing a goal for its safety management programs.

Note that the above definition of preventable accident is focused on the actions of the driver. It is the commonly used definition in evaluating driver performance. A broader definition, which can be used to evaluate the driver's and the motor carrier's actions, is given by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations as follows:

A preventable accident on the part of a motor carrier means an accident that:

1. Involved a commercial motor vehicle, and
2. Could have been averted but for an act, or failure to act, by the motor carrier, or the driver.

The concept of a "preventable accident" is a fleet safety management tool which achieves the following goals:

1. It helps establish a safe driving standard for the driver;
2. It provides a criterion for evaluating individual drivers;
3. It provides an objective for accident investigations and evaluations;
4. It provides a means for evaluating the safety performance of individual drivers and the fleet as a whole;
5. It provides a means for monitoring the effectiveness of fleet safety programs;
6. Assists in dealing with driver safety infractions;
7. It assists in the implementation of safe driving recognition programs.

IF YOU OR A LOVED ONE HAS BEEN INJURED OR WRONGFULLT KILLED AS A RESULT OF AN ACCIDENT CALL CARABIN SHAW AT 866-316-6618

The dangers of texting and driving are well documented in San Antonio. Unfortunately, texting while driving has become far too common on Texas roadways in recent years. This unsafe practice endangers lives and leads to accidents that are otherwise avoidable. On March 29th 2017, a 20-year-old driver admitted that he was texting when his truck crossed the centerline and collided with a church minibus in Uvalde county, Texas, resulting in 13 fatalities.

Far too many tragic collisions have occurred nationwide because drivers are distracted while texting. The best practice is to pull over to a safe location if you must communicate on your phone.

As of the summer of 2017, the state legislature in Texas has adopted a new law that will ban texting while operating a motor vehicle. This new law will go into effect in September of 2017 and make texting and driving punishable by a fine. Texas is one of the last states in the country to adopt this type of ban to address the dangers of texting and driving. The lawyers at Carabin Shaw hope that this law will result in safer road conditions for San Antonio drivers, especially motorcyclists, who bear a much greater risk of being injured in collisions than drivers of passenger vehicles. Our legal team is wary of the possibility that many drivers, out of habit, will continue to text while driving, which represents an unacceptable risk for motorcyclists.

If you are seeking a San Antonio texting while driving crash lawyer, call the expert legal team at Carabin Shaw. For over 34 years, our attorneys have defended the legal rights of individuals involved in motorcycle accidents. We pride ourselves on winning fair and just compensation for our clients that have been wrongfully injured.

With its annual Talk, Text, Crash campaign, the Texas Department of Transportation has been attempting to educate drivers about the dangers of texting and driving, as well as other forms of distracted driving, including eating, grooming, and watching videos. The Texas Department of Transportation reports that in 2016 a shocking number of accidents were caused by different forms of distracted driving--over 100,000. They believe that the best way to address this growing problem is to raise awareness and educate all drivers, particularly younger drivers, who are more likely than any other demographic to engage in distracted driving. The new law banning texting and driving, if properly enforced, should act as a strong deterrent.

At the legal firm of Carabin Shaw in San Antonio, our attorneys have a great deal of experience working with motorcyclists and aggressively pursuing their personal injury claims in court. Experienced motorcyclists understand the dangers involved in operating their vehicles and take the proper safety precautions to minimize their risks. However, even the most defensive motorcyclist is placed in harm's way when other drivers neglect to keep their full attention on the road. All drivers should know by now that the dangers of texting and driving are very real and not to be taken lightly.

Our lawyers know that it only takes a single moment of carelessness by a driver to cause serious injury or death for a motorcyclist. Drivers have a legal responsibility to operate their vehicles safely without endangering other drivers, and this is impossible to do while driving and texting. If you have been the victim of an accident where texting and driving was involved, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.

Do not allow yourself to be victimized by this unsafe practice that has recently become illegal in the state of Texas. Call the professional attorneys at Carabin Shaw in San Antonio at 866-316-6618 for a free consultation and assistance in pursuing your personal injury claim.