Texting While Driving Accidents

Texting While Driving and Cell Phone-Related Car Accidents in Atlanta

Using a cell phone while driving is not only illegal now, but it can also be dangerous when it diverts the driver’s attention, even momentarily, from the road. A driver may only be looking away from the road for a few seconds, but that is all it takes to strike a pedestrian, bicyclist or another vehicle. The attorneys at Katz Personal Injury Lawyers have devoted their professional lives to holding negligent drivers accountable when their inattention or preoccupation causes a serious car accident that injures or kills another person.

Texting While Driving – Eyes Off the Road, Hands Off the Wheel

Georgia is one of 43 states which have outlawed text messaging (texting) while driving. This law is subject to primary enforcement in Georgia, meaning that the police can stop and cite a person for violating the law without there being any other traffic offense or reason to require the driver to pull over. Texting is more dangerous than talking on the phone in many ways, because it requires the driver to take his/her hands off the wheel and eyes off the road to compose or read a text. The level of cognitive distraction is also greater when texting, versus speaking during conversation.

Cell Phone Use – A High Level of Distraction from the Critical Task of Driving

While no state yet has completely banned the use of cell phones while driving, 12 states, including Georgia, prohibit the handheld use of a cell phone while driving. Drivers in those states must use the speakerphone, headset, Bluetooth-enabled device or other similar technology. In Georgia, school bus drivers and drivers under the age of 18 are also prohibited from using cell phones in any manner while driving. Georgia’s Hands-Free Law allows for a driver to make contact with his or her cell phone in very limited situations.

Even hands-free cell phone laws are not as effective as you might think. A recent study conducted by the Center for the Prevention of Distracted Driving at the University of Utah and sponsored by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found there wasn’t much difference in the level of distraction caused by talking on a handheld cell phone versus hands free. Both were more distracting than listening to an audio book, and more than twice as distracting as listening to the radio. The only activity studied which was more distracting than cell phone use was interacting with speech-to-text devices, which are on the rise and becoming ever more ingrained in our daily lives.

Car Accident Attorneys for Texting, Talking and Other Distracted Driving Accidents

An experienced car accident lawyer will know what steps to take to properly prepare a strong case where texting or cell phone use was involved in the accident. For instance, cell phone records can sometimes be retrieved and may show if the driver was talking or texting at the time of the accident. The legal team at KWF has a proven record of success in holding negligent drivers accountable for the damages they have caused in a variety of car accidents in and around Atlanta. If you or a loved one has been injured in a vehicle collision due to another person talking, texting or driving negligently, contact our law office today at (404) 460-0101 for a free consultation. We represent clients across the state of Georgia, including Atlanta, Macon, Athens, and Augusta.