Legal charges ranging from reckless driving and even vehicular manslaughter have been filed and prosecuted so don’t think that texting and driving are no big deal. They developed hands free driving laws for a reason. The reasons is that it saves lives.
Are you at risk for a car accident if you are texting or reading texts while at the wheel of the car? Yes you are. Not only are you at risk but you are putting the passengers in the car with you at risk. Passengers in cars driving near you are at risk as well. Texting while driving risks can even be worse than talking on a cell phone while driving or driving under the influence. The reason being you have to strain to see the text and read the small print and those seconds taken are seconds you aren’t watching the road. Not only that, to respond requires pressing buttons that take your eyes off the road.
At least if you are driving with your phone on speaker phone or with a bluetooth on you can pay attention to the road somewhat. With texts, you literally have to look away to read and write them. So totally dangerous. Teens think they are invincible but adults know better and they constantly worry not only about driving but about distractions their child might encounter while driving or being a passenger in a car of young kids who are distracted.
Hands free driving is already a law so people use blue tooth devices. Even fiddling with the blue tooth can cause an accident. But with texting it is extremely dangerous. More than a dozen states have already banned texting while driving and there are bills being considered which would ban texting while driving world wide. All it takes is a driver texting to run over someone crossing a street. That person could be your precious child or family members.
Driver distraction is a leading cause of motor vehicle accidents. It’s a fast growing problem and texting is one of the major driver distractions leading to more car accidents. Texting while driving is totally negligent but people do it all the time. It’s like smoking. They know its bad but still smoke.
If you are involved in a motor vehicle accident that can be linked to texting (they can find out by viewing your call log) you are in a heap of trouble. If you were to cause traumatic brain injury or other bodily harm you could find yourself in a wrongeful death lawsuit.
Anyone hurt in a car accident as a consequence of you texting and driving into a serious accident has the right to come after you for damages, pain and suffering and legal bills. If your car insurance limits are dismally low, you could lose everything. Moreover, if you are a minor then your parents can be held responsible. Insurance goes with the car so your own folks or the cars owner gets sued too.
I’ve heard of many college students lacking good insurance coverage limits or letting it lapse while busy in school. If you get into an accident and you aren’t covered properly or your policy has lapsed and yet you get into an accident your life as you know it will be over. You could lose everything.
The point of this blog post is to remind you that texting and driving just don’t go together. You think you are invincible when younger but your parents know better. Watch the road and pull over to a safe legitimate parking spot if you hear the beep beep beep of a text that you must answer. Then and only then read and respond. There are enough headaches that happen in the lives of people than to cause a serious accident from texting. I recall a public service announcement on TV of a parent describing how her child died in an accident because of a What’s Up text message.
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