Category Archives: Texting and Driving

Is Illinois Texting And Driving Ban Restrictive Enough?

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I have reported in the past about the texting and driving bans enacted in Chicago and eventually by the State. These laws were necessary as the studies have shown the dangers of texting and driving. The question law maker must answer – – which State Farm has pointed out – – is wether the texting laws should prevent all phone internet use while driving.  State Farm published a report recently that found that 19 percent of drivers from its’ survey admitted to using the Internet while driving. The top five Web-based activities they engage in are:

  • Finding/reading driving directions,
  • Reading email,
  • Looking up/referencing specific information of immediate interest,
  • Looking at/reading social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.),
  • Composing/sending email

Most respondents who said they use the Internet while driving reported that they engage in these activities when stopped at a stop light or stopped in heavy traffic. They also commonly said they access the Internet when driving alone, during daylight hours, or on long drives on the interstate.

We are very interested in learning more about the growing trend of using the Web while driving,” said Cindy Garretson, Director of Auto Technology Research at State Farm. “We are working to prevent (car) crashes and save lives, and this research takes us one step closer to understanding the driver distractions that affect everyone on our roadways.”

I think anyone would admit that posting something on twitter or facebook or looking up news headlines while driving is just as dangerous as texting and driving. The word “texting”, if used broadly should encompass all smart phone use. It will be interesting to see if Illinois broadens the term texting in its’ texting and driving laws.

If you or someone you know has been involved in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then call Illinois car accident attorney, Aaron Bryant, for a free consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com.

Study Shows Texting And Driving Has Drastically Increased Amount Of Distracted Driving Accidents

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A recent study from the University of North Texas revealed that the total number of distracted accidents has dramatically increased since 2001, the year text Messaging began.  The Chicago Tribune recently reported that the study showed that if text Messaging had never been invented, there would have been 1,925 traffic fatalities  per year due to distracted driving between 2002 and 2007. But in real life, they rose from 4,611 in 2001 to 5,988 in 2007. Below are some other startling statistics from the study:

  • The percentage of all traffic deaths  caused by distracted driving rose from 11% in 1999 to 16% in 2008.
  • Distracted-driving crashes are more common in urban areas. Overall, 40% of all crashes happened in urban areas in 2008, up from 33% a decade earlier.
  • Only one-third of Americans had a cellphone in 1999. By 2008, 91% of us did.
  • The average monthly volume of text messages was 1 million in 2002. By 2008, it was 110 million

    • If you or someone you know has been involved in a Chicago car accident  or Chicago truck accident , then call Chicago personal injury attorney , Aaron Bryant, for a free consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com

    Distracted Driving Summit Speakers Stress Deadly Results From Texting And Driving

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    As the Distracted Driving Summit rolled on this week, the focus shifted from preventative legislation to the stark reality about the dangers of texting and driving. Business Week reported that the speakers outlined the deadly statistics of phone use while driving.

    According to researchers texting alone caused more than 16,000 deaths in car accidents from 2001 to 2007. Further, texting while driving rose 28 percent in just three years, from 4,572 in 2005 to 5,870 in 2008.

    “The increases in distracted driving seem to be largely driven by increased use of cell phones to text,” said lead researcher Fernando Wilson, an assistant professor in the School of Public Health at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth.  “Overall use of cell phones have been pretty steady, but texting volumes have increased dramatically in the last few years,” he added.

    Wilson added that drunk drivers are also more prone to pick up their phones while in their cars.  Wilson did not have any definitive answers to the epidemic but added that  “we need technologies that inhibit cell phone use while driving” and that more effective law enforcement of cell phone bans would also help.

    The numbers here speak for themselves. As I have said many times before: think again the next time you are driving and tempted to pick up your phone while driving. You will, no doubt, increase the odds of causing a car crash if you decide to pick up your phone and decide to send that text or email.
     
    If you or someone you know has been injured in a Chicago car accident  or Chicago trucking accident , then call Chicago car accident attorney , Aaron Bryant, for a free consultation  at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com

    Second National Distracted Driving Summit Coming In September

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    The U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced that the second annual Distracted Driving Summit will take place on September 21, 2010. Transportation officials, safety advocates, law enforcement, industry representatives, researchers, and victims affected by distraction-related crashes will convene to address challenges and identify opportunities for national anti-distracted driving efforts.

    At this year’s event, experts from around the country will explore accomplishments since our first summit, as well as the many challenges that lie ahead. Key topics will include research, technology, policy, public outreach, and best practices in enforcement.

    The Transportation Department’s press release noted that research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that in 2008, nearly 6,000 people died and more than half a million were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver. More than 20 percent of all crashes that same year involved some type of distraction.

    I will be interested to see if the federal government enacts a national ban on all texting in driving. Following last years summit, President Obama enacted a ban for all federal workers from texting while driving while conducting government business.

    If you or someone you know has been involved in a Chicago car accident  or Chicago truck accident , the call Chicago car accident attorney , Aaron Bryant for a free consultation  at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.BLGCHICAGO.com

     

    Adults More Likely Than Teens To Text While Driving

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    Teens have received some pretty bad press regarding their driving and, more specifically, texting and driving. Although teen texting and driving is a clear epidemic that needs to be addressed, a new study shows that adults are actually texting and driving more regularly than teens.

    a report released Friday by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project titled “Adults and Cell Phone Distractions,” found nearly half — or 47 percent — of adult texters say they have sent or received text messages from mobile phones while driving. In comparison, 34 percent of teens who text say they have done so while driving, according to a report released by Pew in September.  Of all adults, including those who don’t text, 27 percent said that they had sent text messages from behind the wheel, according to Friday’s report. About the same amount of all driving-age teens — 26 percent — said they had done so.

    “Adults may be the ones sounding the alarm on the dangers of distracted driving, but they don’t always set the best example themselves,” Mary Madden, a senior research specialist at Pew, said in a statement.

    To me this is a clear case of adults needing to “practice what they preach.” We all know how convenient it is to pick up your phone and return a text or email while driving. Just remember how distracting and dangerous that can be and that it can lead to a serious car accident.

    If you or someone you know can is involved in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident , then call Chicago accident attorney  Aaron Bryant for at 312-588-3384 for a free consultation  on your case or go to the firm website at www.BLGCHICAGO.com

    Arizona Teen Issues PSA Against Texting And Driving

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    I have written here numerous times about the dangers of texting and driving and the numerous campaigns against this practice. Oprah has jumped on board and now an Arizona teen has created her own public service announcement.  Arizona high school sophomore Bethany Brown prepared an anti-distraction public service video titled “There are no RE-DO’s in real life,”  and was recently released the National Road Safety Foundation (NRSF).

    “I started noticing distracted driving a lot more. I saw my friends doing it. I saw drivers in other cars doing it. They’re texting or talking on their cells, and they’re, you know, swerving all over. And they think they’re being perfectly safe!”

    “So then I began to look into it,” she says, ” and I couldn’t believe how many teen deaths are related to texting or being on a cell and driving. It was really eye-opening.”

    Congratulations to Bethany for her initiative on this serious issue. Click here  to view her video.

    If you or someone you know has been involved in a Chicago car accident  or Chicago truck accidents , then call attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation  at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website www.BLGCHICAGO.com.

    AT&T Launches Campaign Against Texting And Driving

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    Following suit of various states (including Illinois) and the federal government, AT&T, is launching an initiative to curb texting and driving.

    AT&T’s “Txtng & Drivng … It Can Wait” campaign features parents of young texting-and-driving victims and the final text messages the young drivers received just before they died. The campaign’s theme: “No text is worth dying over.”

    The campaign, which will include advertising in 72 shopping malls, also features an online resource center, att.com/txtngcanwait, where educators, parents and teens can download information about texting while driving and sign a pledge not to do it. AT&T also has launched a Facebook application, at facebook.com/att.

    Dallas-based AT&T, which serves about 85 million wireless customers, is the second communications company to enter the fray against texting while driving. Verizon Wireless launched its national “Don’t Text and Drive” campaign last year.

    The campaign comes as the movement against texting while driving nears critical mass. At least 23 states this year have considered bans on texting while driving; 10 of them restrict texting by novice drivers. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia prohibit texting while driving for all drivers, the Governors Highway Safety Association says.

    It will be interesting to see whether this campaign will be effective or not. Texting and driving is clearly showing to be a very dangerous activity. Click here to read the entire article from USA Today.

    If you or someone you know has been involved in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then call Attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation at 312-588-3384. 
     

    Teens Texting, Calling And Driving Is A Scary Combination

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    A new Pew Research Report reveals that up to 50% of teen drivers admit to texting and talking on their cell phones while driving.

    According to the study by the Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C, which surveyed 800 teens up to age 17:

    • 75 percent of teens have a cellphone, and more than half of them say they have talked on their cellphone while driving.

    • 40 percent say they have been in a car when the driver used a cellphone “in a way that put themselves or others in danger.”

    • 48 percent of teens say they have been in a car when the driver was texting.

    • More than one-third of teens ages 16 or 17 who text say they have texted while driving.

    FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski already has gone on record with his concerns. “Distracted driving endangers life and property and the current levels of injury and loss are unacceptable,” he sold a U.S. Senate committee last month.

    He cited a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report in 2008 that said driver distraction is the cause of 16 percent of all fatal crashes, which translates to 5,800 people killed, and 21 percent of crashes that result in an injury, which is 515,000 people.

    As I previously wrote, the U.S. Senate is now considering a bill that would completely ban texting while driving. I don’t t think that legislation could come soon enough. The statistics do not lie and apparently teens drivers do not view this as a dangerous activity.

    To read the complete article from the Seattle Times, click here.

    If you or someone you know has been involved in a car accident or truck accident, then contact attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation at 312-588-3384.