Maitland Distracted Driving Accidents Lawyer
Not every car crash is caused by a driver acting in a wildly reckless manner. The driver may not have been drunk, and they may not have been speeding or darting between cars to avoid traffic. Quite often, the driver is simply not paying attention. Distracted driving has become one of the leading causes of traffic collisions in the past decade. In particular, as mobile phone usage has become prominent, more and more accidents are caused by drivers texting, talking, or emailing while they drive. This behavior may seem innocent, but in reality, it puts everyone on the road at risk of injury in a serious crash.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed by a distracted driver in Central Florida, a compassionate and effective Maitland distracted driving accidents lawyer at Goldman Law, P.A., is ready to hear your case. Sarah Goldman Geise has spent more than a decade litigating personal injury matters and has recovered millions of dollars for injured plaintiffs and their families. Goldman Law, P.A. can help you after a distracted driving car accident.
What is Distracted Driving?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines distracted driving generally by breaking it into three types of distractions:
- Visual: Taking your eyes off the road
- Manual: Removing your hands from the wheel
- Cognitive: Taking your mind off of driving
Texting or otherwise using a phone while driving is the most obvious form of distracted driving, but it is not the only distraction many drivers allow. Distracted drivers can cause accidents when they eat while driving, put on makeup, shave, change clothes, read maps, watch videos, use navigation devices, play with the stereo, focus on something outside the vehicle, or get overly distracted by passengers. If your hands, eyes, or attention are focused on something other than driving, you are putting other drivers on the road at risk.
Distracted Driving Fatalities Are All-Too Common
According to reports from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2017 alone, 3,166 people were killed across the country as a result of distracted driving. Between 2012 and 2017, nearly 20,000 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver. 9.5 percent of all fatal crashes during that time involved a distracted driver.
The NHTSA explains that distracted driving is much more dangerous than it seems. On average, a person will take their eyes completely off the road for a full five seconds to read and respond to a text. If you are driving at 55 mph, that’s enough time to cross an entire football field–plenty of time to hit a car that unexpectedly stopped or turned in front of you, or to hit a pedestrian whom you did not see before. By combining the three types of distraction, texting while driving increases the risk of crashing by 23 times.
People understand that distracted driving is dangerous, but most people do it anyway. In a recent CDC survey, 69 percent of drivers aged 18-64 across the country admitted to talking on their cell phones while driving, and 31 percent admitted to reading or sending texts or emails while driving. This is a growing problem, and it is only getting more dangerous. Hands-free technology helps, but it is not a complete solution.
Get Help After a Distracted Driving Collision
Distracted driving should not be taken lightly. If you or a loved one has been hurt or killed by a distracted driver you deserve justice. Contact the dedicated distracted driving accident lawyer at Goldman Law, P.A. for a free consultation, and let us see how we can help you recover after your Central Florida distracted driver accident.
