As a New York City car accident attorney, I have noted in an earlier post to my New York Injury Lawyer blog, the National Safety Council found that drivers using cell phones see up to 50 percent less of their driving environment. Cell phone use, among other distractions, has been linked to nearly 25 percent of all traffic accidents nationwide.
In New York County alone, from 2006 to 2008, distracted driving was determined to be responsible for about 21.5 percent of all New York City car accidents. Statewide that number hovers around 17.5 percent. On average, out of roughly 10,800 reportable NYC traffic accidents per year, driver distraction was linked to 2,300 crashes.
In an effort to raise public awareness of both the potential hazards of cell phone use while driving and state driving laws that restrict hand-held cell phone usage, state and local government officials are now conducting the third of four high-visibility statewide enforcement campaigns.
The first wave began in April, after Syracuse and Hartford, Conn. were selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation to host the only two pilot programs in the country awarded with $300,000 grants to target hand-held cell phone use while driving.
During the kick-off April campaign of “Phone in One Hand, Ticket in the Other”, the City of Syracuse issued 3,200 tickets to drivers caught using their cell phones while driving. The second wave – held in July – resulted in more than 2,100 citations, and represented a 38 percent drop in cell phone usage and 42 percent drop in texting while driving just in Syracuse.
With this third rollout, law enforcement officials are confident their efforts are making a difference. “Many injuries and deaths have been prevented because of the last two enforcement waves,” said Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler. “Distracted driving will not be tolerated and we will continue to send this message to motorists through our enforcement efforts.”
The final push comes in April 2011, and the results from the year-long Hartford and Syracuse programs will be used to construct a national model to combat distracted driving.
On a national scale, many efforts are being made already to address what U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recently referred to as a “deadly epidemic” that in 2009 killed more than 5,000 and injured another 440,000. Pop stars, such as band members the Jonas Brothers and TV-personalities like Oprah Winfrey have joined public awareness efforts to dissuade drivers from using cell phones behind the wheel.
As a New York City accident lawyer, Nicholas Rose understands that being involved in a traffic accident is often one of the most stressful times in a person’s life. We would like you to know we are available for a free and confidential consultation if you have been injured in pedestrian traffic accident. To schedule an appointment, call us at 1-877-313-ROSE (7673).
