Our car accident lawyers are seeing more accidents caused by drivers distracted by texting and talking on a cell phone. Every serious crash investigation now includes an analysis of phone records, which can be used as evidence in a lawsuit against the driver and, in come cases, others (bus or trucking company).
Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman are lead lawyers for our Accident Litigation Team. “In many cases, it is not immediately evident that a crash was caused by a distracted driver,” said Fred. “In some cases, we have used accident reconstruction experts to prove that the only explanation for an accident is that the driver was distracted.” This can affect the amount of money accident victims recover. You can contact Fred and Eric for a free case review here.
Each day, more than nine people are killed and 1,060 more are injured in crashes that involve a distracted driver, according to the CDC. The agency has not fully analyzed crash statistics for 2012, but below are some of the statistics from 2010 and 2011:
- In 2011, 3,331 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver compared to 3,267 in 2010.
- In 2011, 387,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver.
- In 2010, “distraction” was reported as being a factor in nearly one in five crashes (18 percent) in which someone was injured.
- In June 2011, more than 196 billion text messages were sent or received in the United States, up nearly 50 percent from June 2009.
A recent study by the CDC found that distracted driving may be more of a problem in the United States than in Europe. The study analyzed statistics from the United States and seven European countries: Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The study found that more U.S. drivers talked on the phone and read or sent emails or texts while driving than drivers in several other European countries.
We urge drivers to pull over before using a cell phone. It could save a life.
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