The number of distracted driving accidents in Virginia and around the country has increased alarmingly in the past several years, and most road safety advocates have concluded that an epidemic of cellphone use while behind the wheel is largely to blame. The National Safety Council observes its annual Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April, and data from two surveys suggests that efforts to reduce driver distraction could save even more lives than previous campaigns aimed at curbing drunk driving.
A report released in February by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety revealed that young millennials are most likely to engage in unsafe driving behavior such as texting. An overwhelming 88 percent of the drivers aged between 19 and 24 polled by AAA researchers admitted to behaving recklessly while behind the wheel during the last 30 days. Older drivers also confessed to regularly making poor driving decisions, and more than two-thirds of the motorists between 60 and 74 years of told the AAA that they had recently behaved negligently.
The results of a study conducted as part of an AT&T safety campaign may be particularly concerning for lawmakers and road safety advocates. Seven out of 10 of the drivers surveyed said that they regularly used their cellphones while behind the wheel, and almost a third of them admitted to accessing the internet while driving. Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook were the most popular online destinations for drivers according to the study.
The injuries suffered in distracted driving crashes are often extremely serious due to the high speeds involved, and experienced personal injury attorneys may call upon medical experts when preparing litigation on behalf of accident victims. Those who have been left badly injured by automobile accidents often face months of expensive medical treatment and physical therapy, and attorneys could help to ensure that the damages they seek are sufficient to cover the costs of their clients’ care.