In a previous post on my New York Injury Lawyer Blog I reported that technology is a growing force in causing New York car accidents.
New York law bans drivers from hand-held devices while they are driving, which includes texting.
Habitual offenders of this law may want to reconsider their bad habit because the consequences just got more severe. According to a recent article published by NBC New York, as of February 17th, the penalty for violating the no cell phone law will go from 0 to 2 points added onto your license.
Consequently, this could assume more fines and court appearances for violators refusing to obey the law.
Crashes involving distracted driving are becoming as prevalent as those involving driving under the influence. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that more than 5,000 people were killed in distracted driving-related crashes in 2009. Another 448,000 were injured in these types of accidents.
It was reported that 16% of fatal crashes, and 20% of injury crashes involved some sort of distraction as the cause of the crash. The 30-39 year old age group was the group with the highest percentage of admitted cell-phone use of those drivers involved in fatal distracted crashes.
Though fatalities in crashes have decreased over the 5 year period from 2005-2009, distraction-related fatalities have increased during that same time period. In 2005, 10% of fatalities in crashes were distraction-related as opposed to 16% in 2009. The total number of fatalities from crashes decreased from 43,510 in 2005 to 33,808 in 2009.
The government has joined a number of safety advocates in waging an all-out assault on distracted driving. At the end of 2010, AT&T announced its own campaign against texting while driving. NBC New York reports the ‘The Last Text’ documentary put the ‘It Can Wait Campaign’ in full motion. The short documentary is a composition of people’s lives that were changed forever by a driver who was driving distracted. Stories told by both the victims and the driver portray the message in a way that cuts to the heart. AT&T is the only cellular company that has campaigned against texting while driving to date.
New Yorkers are faced with a challenge. From this point on, drivers need to acknowledge the price of each call they make and each text they answer when they are behind the wheel. The price may be too much to bear if you are involved in a distracted driving accident that takes a life.
If you need representation in New York, contact personal injury lawyer Nicholas Rose, Esq. for legal advice. For a free case evaluation call 1-877-313-ROSE (7673) to discuss your rights.
