Are You Taking the Pledge to End Distracted Driving?

Distracted driving has become a hot topic in Texas and across the nation as U.S. Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, recently announced plans to end distracted driving with new proposed guidelines for automakers to install less distracting electronic devices in vehicles. This proposal comes at a time when distracted driving has become one of the main causes of car accident fatalities.

Austin, Texas personal injury attorneys know all too well the dangers of distracted driving.

But what exactly is distracted driving? According to distraction.gov, distracted driving is any activity that would take your focus away from driving. The site includes the following examples:

• Texting
• Using a cell phone or smartphone
• Eating and drinking
• Talking to passengers
• Grooming
• Reading, including maps
• Using a navigation system
• Watching a video
• Adjusting a radio, CD player, or MP3 player

Not only is distracted driving dangerous to all drivers, but distracted driving endangers passengers and bystanders as well. You may think that answering your phone or responding to a quick text won’t do any harm, but statistics taken from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) have shown that in 2009, 5,474 people were killed in car crashes caused by distracted driving. In the same study, an estimated 448,000 people were injured from distracted driving car accidents alone.

The CTIA, which is the international association for the wireless telecommunications industry, reported that in June of 2011, more than 196 billion text messages were sent or received in the United States. That number has risen nearly 50% from June of 2009.

If you don’t think distracted driving affects you, take a look at the following video link.

Faces of Distracted Driving: Alex Brown, 17

Contact the Austin personal injury attorneys at Gonzales and Gonzales, if you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident caused by distracted driving. Take the pledge now to end distracted driving.