Traffic Accidents up in First Half of 2015
December 11, 2015On behalf of Terence Gross of Gross & Schuster, P.A. posted in Car Accidents on Friday, at December 11, 2015.
Traffic fatalities and injuries are up in the United States despite decreases in DUI and teen driving accidents, advancements in vehicle safety, and increase in seatbelt use. So what is causing more people to be injured on our nation’s highways? The article in the Northwest Florida Daily News notes that one factor is the increase in the number of people driving on the roadways. However, the likely bigger factor mentioned in the article is the tremendous number of accidents cause by people using a cellphone while driving.
It has been long known that texting and driving is dangerous, however, people have speculated about how dangerous it actually is. Recent statistics released by the National Safety Council shed light on how increased cellphone use is affecting the safety of our roadways. The council estimates that 25% of all accidents involve cellphone use. This number may seem high to some, but not to an auto accident attorney. The attorneys at Gross & Schuster regularly represent clients injured as a result of someone texting and driving. Although, it is estimated that there is cellphone use in 25% of all accidents we would not be surprised if that number was actually higher. The problem is that we will likely never have an accurate number due to the difficulty in getting reliable data because many drivers are hesitant to admit that they cause an accident by texting and driving.
Regardless of what the actual statistics are, what we know is that using a cellphone while driving is extremely dangerous. Unfortunately, the trend of a high percentage of cellphone related accidents will likely continue due to advancements in mobile and too many people have the “it won’t happen to me mentality.” Hopefully, these recent statistics will make people think twice before putting their life, their passengers’ lives, and other motorists’ lives at risk.
Read more at Northwest Florida Daily News.
