About a third of the teens in a recent survey said that they or someone they knew lost a friend or loved one in a distracted driving accident. Nine people are killed every day in America, and more than 1,000 are hurt because a driver wasn’t paying attention behind the wheel. The most distracted drivers in the country are in Florida, according to the Department of Highway Safety. Annual traffic deaths in the state rose from 2,497 in 2014 to 3,158 in 2016 because more drivers were texting and talking on cells phones. Teen drivers cause the majority of distracted driving car accidents, the reason that Orlando car accident attorneys are so busy.
It takes nearly a half minute to refocus attention to the road after looking at a text or checking a navigation device – which can be deadly when traveling at high speeds. It is like driving the length of a football field blindfolded.
Distracted Driving Kills
Using a cell phone while driving may be the rare subject on which parents and teenagers are close to agreement. According to a new 2017 Family Safe Driving Report, the majority of teens and parents recognize how dangerous distracted driving is. It seems, however, that it’s parents who set a bad example when it comes following the safety rules.
The study reported that 24 percent of the parents surveyed admitted that they had called or texted to a teen whom they knew was driving at the time. Even worse for the older generation, it appears that the parents were minimizing their unsafe ways. Forty-four percent of the teenagers in the survey reported receiving text messages or cell phone calls from their parents while they were driving.
Only slightly more than half of the teens thought that their parents set a good example behind the wheel. Many teens reported that a parent had driven too fast or used a cell phone while driving. The adults seemed to back that up in the survey. Nearly two-thirds of parents admitted to unsafe driving practices like talking on the phone or sending a text. Less than a third of teenagers acknowledged distracted driving.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more useful information.
If you or a loved one has been injured through someone’s negligence, contact the Orlando car accident attorneys at Martinez Manglardi at 407-846-2240 with offices throughout Florida for a free consultation.