Distracted Driving Accident

Cell phone headsets, voice-activated systems, and other hands-free gadgets in vehicles may help keep a driver’s hands on the wheel. However, they can still cause distracted driving accidents or injuries if they distract the driver’s eyes or mind from the task of driving, according to a recent article in the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette.

According to the National Safety Council (NSC), drivers whose brains are distracted with conversation, following directions, or other cognitive activities miss up to 50 percent of the information in their surrounding environments. When driving, this means missing up to half of the vital information needed to avoid a crash, such as things like whether a light is changing from yellow to red, whether and from what direction other cars are approaching, or whether there are children or animals present that might suddenly run into the street.

In response to growing distracted-driving concerns, some automakers are revamping the gadgetry in their vehicles so that it decreases the distractions available. For instance, automakers are making text messages shorter and disabling cell phone functions built into vehicles while the car is in motion.

Distracted driving greatly increases the risk of an accident, whether the distraction is caused by a technological gadget, eating, an in-car conversation, or some condition outside the vehicle. If you’ve been injured by a distracted driver, the experienced distracted driving accident lawyers in Washington at Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. can help. Call us today at (888) 228-3860 for a free and confidential case evaluation.

Cell phone use in the U.S. has exploded in recent years, according to studies by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and other highway safety groups. In 1995, only 11 percent of the U.S. population, or about 33,000 people, had a cell phone. By 2010, however, that number had grown to 93 percent of the population, or nearly 300 million people.

Today, cell phones are often a person’s only telephone line and a primary means of communicating not just in phone calls, but also in sharing documents, writing e-mails, and sending text messages. As we become more dependent on our cell phones, we are more likely to use them even in situations where their use is dangerous – such as behind the wheel of a car.

Distracted driving, specifically using a cell phone while driving, is very dangerous. Talking on a cell phone while driving makes any driver four times more likely to cause injury or death in a car accident, according to the USDOT. Research indicates that the risk is the same whether the driver is holding the phone or talking into a hands-free device. The conversation interrupts the brain’s ability to focus on driving, making it much more likely a driver won’t see or respond to a sudden emergency until it’s too late.

At Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S., our experienced Washington distracted driver accident lawyers work hard to help injured people and their families seek compensation after a crash. If you’ve been injured by a distracted driver, call us today at (888) 228-3860.

Even though the vast majority of U.S. states ban text messaging while driving to address distracted driving risks, an Ad Council study reports a whopping 82 percent of young drivers, between 16 and 24 years old, have engaged in this dangerous activity. And it’s not only the younger demographic who are distracted behind the wheel: approximately 20 percent of all accidents involving injury in 2009 were reportedly caused by distraction. However, like all reckless behavior, distracted driving can be prevented with a combination of awareness and good choices. Below are five tips, picked from recommendations by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA).

1. Never use your phone or any other hand held device while driving. Not only is it illegal, but research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shows drivers who use hand held devices are four times as likely to get into accidents severe enough to cause injury. The University of Utah also determined that using a cell phone (regardless of whether it’s hands free or not) compromises a driver’s response time to the same extent as being legally drunk with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent. So switch off your ringer.
2. When making or taking a call is a complete necessity, get off the road. Pull over to a safe area and don’t resume driving until the phone is hung up, turned off, and placed in a compartment out of reach to avoid temptation.
3. Get your directions straight before you depart. Fiddling with a map or GPS system while driving is unsafe; it takes your eyes and concentration away from the road.
4. Don’t engage in distracting interactions with passengers. Family, friends, and pets can all be distractions. Deal with situations that require attention or emotion when off the road or parked.
5. Save the food and drinks for the passenger seats. Eating and drinking is included in many states’ updated distracted driving laws.

If you’ve been injured in a Seattle vehicle accident that you believe was caused by distracted driving, contact the Washington distracted driving accident lawyers with Hardwick & Pendergast P.S. at 1 (888) 228-3860 for a free case review.

Many research studies recently have focused on distracted driving and how it contributes to car accident risks. Most studies agree that distracted driving increases the risk of a crash, and that the more distracted a driver is, the more likely he or she is to have an accident. A study completed by researchers at the University of Utah, for instance, found that drivers who text while driving show the same kinds of impairment as drivers with a 0.08 blood alcohol concentration – the legal limit for drunk driving.

However, when it comes to deciding what to do to decrease distracted driving, researchers and policymakers are uncertain. This is because there’s very little research on what kinds of policies actually decrease distracted driving risks. At least one study indicates that banning handheld cell phone use actually increases the risk of an accident, as drivers may attempt to conceal their cell phone use while driving, a task that takes additional attention away from the road.

Another study performed by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) found that cell phone use in cars decreased in areas where cell phone use by drivers was prohibited. However, the researchers weren’t sure whether crash rates went down as well. Since police rarely get cell phone records after an accident and drivers are hesitant to admit they were distracted during a crash, it can be difficult to get accurate data to study, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). More research is needed to determine the best ways to decrease distracted driving and the increased risk of accidents that come with it.

Distracted driving accidents can cause serious injuries. If you’ve been injured by a distracted driver, the experienced distracted driving accident attorneys in Seattle at Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. can help you determine what happened and seek compensation from any responsible parties. For a free and confidential consultation, please call us today at (888) 228-3860.

In 2007, Washington became the first state to ban drivers from sending cell phone text messages – or “texting” – while driving a motor vehicle. Since then, over 36 states have passed similar bans in response to an increase in distracted driving accidents, as well as the general growing concern about distracted driving.

In 2010, the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA) compiled a report on the many different methods states are using to combat distracted driving. Popular methods include
passing laws to ban or limit common distractions like cell phone use and launching education campaigns to warn teens learning to drive and other drivers that distracted driving can have serious, even deadly, consequences.

Since it became the first state to ban texting while driving, Washington has remained at the forefront of finding new and effective ways to cut down on the risks of distracted driving. These include expanding educational programs to include courts and attorneys who handle distracted-driving-related cases and launching media programs to keep people informed about distracted driving risks and ways to protect their own and others’ safety. As the number of injury-causing distracted-driving accidents continues to creep upward, Washington and other states continue to fight to decrease the number of people affected by distracted driving accidents each year.

If you or someone you love has been injured in an accident with a distracted driver in Washington, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced distracted driving accident attorneys in Seattle at Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S., for a free and confidential evaluation of your case. Call us today at (888) 228-3860.

The majority of states in the U.S. have placed limits on the use of cell phones and other handheld devices by drivers, and Washington is no exception. Cell phone driving laws like Washington’s are designed to cut down on the number of accidents caused by distracted driving by limiting the amount of distraction a cell phone can cause.

According to the Governors’ Highway Safety Association (GHSA), Washington is one of nine U.S. states that ban all drivers from using a handheld cell phone while driving. Drivers may, however, use a hands-free device to talk on their phones, as long as they are driving with a full-fledged Washington state driver’s license. Washington drivers who are still using a learner’s permit or an intermediate license, however, may not use a cell phone at all while driving. These novice drivers should find a place to park off the road before using a cell phone.

Along with 33 other states, Washington also bans text messaging while driving. Sending text messages is particularly dangerous for drivers, since it requires the driver to take their eyes and hands off the wheel and to temporarily stop paying attention to the car’s surroundings. No one may send or read a text message while driving, but drivers may pull off the road and park somewhere safe before sending or reading text messages.

Cell phone distraction is a major cause of serious car accidents in Washington. If you or someone you love has been injured in an accident caused by a distracted driver, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced Seattle distracted driving accident attorneys at Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. To learn more about how we can help, call us today at 888-228-3860 for a free and confidential consultation.

A bill has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representative that would set federal standards for using cell phones while driving and may ban their use altogether in many situations, according to a recent article in The Detroit Free Press.

The bill is called the Safe Drivers Act of 2011. Introduced by U.S. Representative Carolyn McCarthy, D-NY, it would require the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to create regulations that ban the use of cell phones while driving except in certain emergency and similar situations. The bill does not ban the use of hands-free devices to talk on cell phones while driving, however. If the bill passes, states will have two years to change their laws to meet the DOT standards or will risk losing up to 25 percent of their federal highway funding.

Rep. McCarthy says she introduced the bill because accidents caused by distracted driving, including talking, texting, and using smartphone apps, are increasing nationwide. These accidents can cause severe injury and even death. A recent study conducted at the University of Utah found that drivers who are texting are impaired from driving safely or making smart decisions as much as if they had a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent – the legal limit for drunk driving.

Distracted driving claims thousands of lives on U.S. roads each year. If you have been injured by a distracted driver, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced Washington distracted driver accident lawyers at Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. We will fight to protect your legal rights and to help you hold any negligent parties accountable for their actions. For a free consultation, call Hardwick & Pendergast today at 888-228-3860.