April Is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

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PA Injury Lawyers - Car Accident - Distracted Driving

April has been designated Distracted Driving Awareness Month by The National Safety Council. The National Safety Council has been a safety advocate for over 100 years, aimed at saving lives by preventing injuries. One of their more recent initiatives is a campaign against distracted driving, a concern shared by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration who launched an entire website focused on distracted driving.

Distracted Driving Survey

As part of the new focus on distracted driving, Erie Insurance conducted a survey last February among 1915 drivers, age 18 or older. The plan is to discourage distracted driving by promoting awareness. Some of the statistics given are a bit alarming, as up to 3% of the respondents reported ‘changing drivers’ as a distraction!

Texting Drivers – By Age

Not surprisingly, the younger the driver, the more apt they are to be texting or distracted by a text while driving. When you combine that with the inherent inexperience of a young driver – especially teenage drivers – you can see how much of a hazard this can present to everyone on the road.

  • Ages 18 – 34 = 51%
  • Ages 35 – 44 = 39%
  • Ages 45 – 54 = 33%
  • Ages 55 – 64 = 14%
  • Ages 65 or older = 7%

Distractions Other Than Texting or Phone Calls

Not counting texting or phone distractions, some of the other distractions reported by drivers in the survey include the following:

  • Public Displays of Affection = 15%
  • Styling Hair = 15%
  • Changing Clothes = 9%
  • Applying Makeup = 8%
  • Brushing or Flossing Teeth = 4%
  • Taking Photos (selfies) = 4%
  • Changing Drivers = 3%
  • Using the Bathroom = 3%

NHTSA Statistics on Distracted Driving

According to 2012 data, there were over 420,000 people injured in a car accident attributed to distracted driving. More than 3,300 people were killed in distracted driving accidents.

We Know Distracted Driving Accidents

Unfortunately, as injury lawyers that handle car accidents in Pennsylvania, we see far too many situations where a distracted driver is responsible for causing an innocent person to suffer serious injuries. Pedestrian accidents, car accidents, truck accidents, and even motorcycle accidents can be attributed to distracted driving.

We urge you to please pay attention to your surroundings while driving, and get to your destination safely. If you are unfortunate enough to be involved in any accident causing you serious injury, please don’t hesitate to contact The Travis Law Firm for a free and confidential case evaluation about your legal rights.