Dallas Distracted Driving Accident Attorney

 Distracted driving accident in DallasOne of the biggest causes of car accidents on the nation’s roadways is distracted driving. Although the incidence of distracted driver accidents goes grossly underreported, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that 15 percent of all injury crashes and 10 percent of all fatal crashes on our nation’s highways in 2015 alone was due to distracted driving. Cell phone use amounted to 27 percent of reported driver distraction accidents. In the five seconds that it takes to read or respond to a text, a car traveling 55 miles per hour could travel the length of a football field, wreaking havoc as it goes and leaving behind catastrophic or even mortal injuries. If you or someone you love were involved in a distracted driving accident, then count on the Law Office of Dorothy Hyde to help you file a claim and get the compensation to which you are entitled from the at-fault party. 

 According to data retrieved from the NHTSA, 391,000 people were injured and another 3,477 people were killed in crashes where distracted driving was a factor. Drivers who text and drive are 2,300 percent more likely to be involved in an accident than drivers who don’t text and drive. And drivers who text and drive are six times more likely to cause an accident than a drunk driver. More than 58 percent of teen crashes involved driver distraction, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, and the fatal crash rate for teens is triple that of older drivers, reports the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Talking or texting impairs a driver as much as if they had a blood-alcohol limit of 0.08 percent, which is legally drunk in many jurisdictions. 

Anything that you do inside the cabin of a car that diverts your attention from the act of driving can be a distraction on the road. This includes eating, putting on lipstick in the rear-view mirror, and even digging on the radio for a favorite song or setting the GPS unit for directions. However, the bulk of dangerous distractions on the road are those caused by cell phone use, and in particular, texting.

Safety experts say there are three types of distraction caused by texting, including: manual, visual and cognitive. Manual distractions require drivers to remove their hands from the steering wheel. Visual distractions require drivers to take their eyes off the road. Cognitive distractions cause drivers to think about other things, taking their mind off of driving and being less aware of the road ahead.

 Distracted drivers can be held accountable for their actions when they cause accidents and others are injured. If you are an accident victim in such a case, you may be able to collect medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering and more. Contact Dallas car accident attorney Dorothy Hyde and her team to determine the best course of action moving forward with your claim. Set up your no-cost consultation now.