INDIANA PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEYS PLEAD WITH DRIVERS – DON’T TEXT!

Distracted driving remains one of the most under-reported traffic incidents in our country, according to the APB Foundation, a Florida-based organization established in memory of Anthony Phoenix Branca. The Foundation is dedicated to spreading awareness and saving lives.

At Ramey & Hailey, our message is the same as APB’s:  Don’t Drive Distracted. Any activity – any – that takes eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, or minds off the primary task of driving safety, potentially endangers:

• drivers
• passengers
• bystanders
• property

The Indiana Department of Labor divides distracted driving into three main categories:

• Cognitive distractions take your MIND off the road.
• Visual distractions take your EYES off the road.
• Manual distractions take your HANDS off the wheel.

Many distractions are innocent-seeming activities, but they can quickly turn deadly:

1. texting
2. using a cell phone
3. talking to passengers
4. grooming
5. reading
6. using a navigation system
7. watching a video
8. adjusting the radio or CD player
9. eating

Think we’re making much ado about nothing? Indiana Department of Labor wants you to try these statistics on for size:

• People who text while driving are 23 times more likely to crash.
• There are now more crashes related to texting and driving than drinking and driving.
• When you look down to send a text or to read one, your eyes are off the road an average of five seconds. A person driving at 55mph travels the length of a football field in five seconds!
  

OSHA, our federal occupational Safety and Health Administration, has an even scarier statistic to share:

In 2010, for every additional million text messages sent, fatalities from distracted driving rose more than 75%!

What does Indiana law have to say about texting while driving?

It is unlawful to type, transmit, or read email or text messages on a communication device while driving in Indiana.  Violators may face fines of up to $500.

• Drivers younger than 18 are banned from texting and cell phone usage.
• All drivers, regardless of age, are banned from text messaging while driving.

Those Indiana laws, part of tort law, exist to prevent drivers from causing injury to themselves and others. Tort law in general covers injury you might have suffered due to the intentional (or, as in the case of distracted driving) the negligent acts of another

At Ramey & Hailey, our attorneys are dedicated to accident prevention through educating the public about the dangers of distracted driving.  But once accidents have nevertheless occurred,  we turn our attention towards helping accident  victims recover for their losses.