Cell Phone Use While Driving Car Accidents

It should not be surprising to anybody how much technology has dramatically changed the average person’s daily life, but what is surprising is how it has made driving even more dangerous than it inherently is. Mobile phones become more and more sophisticated each day. Nowadays, most cell phones can access the internet, take photos, record video, store and play music, and a host of other features. People frequently feel as though they can afford to look away from the road for an instant to read a text message, pick out a song to listen to, or take a quick selfie, but our Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyers know that Florida’s roads and highways are very fast-paced and constantly changing. At any given moment, an individual can hit their brakes quickly to avoid a hazard in the road. If the driver behind the stopping vehicle is not paying attention to the road, a cell phone car accident can easily happen. Driving while distracted by a cell phone or other electronic device creates a volatile atmosphere while on the road, endangering the distracted individual as well as others nearby. Recently, texting and driving surpassed drunk driving as the leading cause of teen deaths in auto accidents.

• 9 Americans are killed every day in accidents related to texting and driving.
• The probability that a car accident was related to distractions by cell phone usage is 1 in 4.
• 40% of teenagers have admitted to witnessing their friends text and drive while they rode as a passenger.
• 33% of American drivers admitted to texting and driving in the previous month.
• In 2013, nearly 350,000 accidents involved texting and driving.
• By texting while driving, you increase the risk of collision with another vehicle by 2,300%.
• While traveling at just 55 mph, taking your eyes off the road for only five seconds is the equivalent to driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed.
• 46 states have adopted laws that make texting and driving illegal.
• People who text and drive spend an average of 10% of the time on the road outside of their traffic lane.

Florida’s roads and highways accommodate tens of millions of drivers each day. Our Fort Lauderdale lawyers recognize that driving is a privilege, not a right, and drivers must be cognizant of the risks that come with operating a motor vehicle. Accidents and collisions happen often, and have in the past long before the advent of mobile phones. Driving while using a cell phone dramatically increases the risk of injury or death for everybody on the road- not just the person doing it. Cell phone car accidents have occurred so frequently in Florida, that in 2015 the Florida State legislature has banned texting and driving and given power to local law enforcement to issue nonmoving traffic infraction citations to those found to have been using their mobile phones while driving if the individual in question has already been pulled over for another reason.

Car accidents are increasingly common when the driver is distracted by a mobile phone. With cell phone car accidents come subsequent injuries, the most common of which include:

• Concussion
• Brain damage
• Fractured or broken bones
• Paralysis
• Paraplegia
• Scrapes and bruises
• Spinal injury
• Neck injury
• Psychological Trauma
• Death

Driving while distracted by a cell phone is not only illegal, but it is negligent and immoral behavior that puts the lives of nearby innocent people at risk. If you or a loved one was recently involved in a cell phone car accident, call The Ansara Law Firm to advocate for justice on your behalf. Our Fort Lauderdale attorneys have over a decade of experience in helping victims of accidents receive the compensation they deserve as a result of injuries caused by the negligence of another. Car accidents can be very dangerous, and related injuries can cause damages to a person that may inhibit their ability to work and generate income to provide themselves and/or their family with what they need to survive. At The Ansara Law Firm, we understand that many people depend on their physical abilities such as walking or lifting heavy things to make a living, and we believe that you deserve compensation if somebody’s negligent actions impede those abilities.

If you or one of your loved ones was recently involved in a motor vehicle crash due to somebody texting and driving, call The Ansara Law Firm at (954) 761-4011 for a free consultation with a Fort Lauderdale lawyer as soon as possible to increase your chances of being compensated.