Seattle Car Accident Lawyer Warns against Texting and Cell Phone Use While Driving

By Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. on September 3, 2010

Nearly 670 Cell Phone Violations in Washington State in 20 Days – Seattle Personal Injury Lawyer Points out Why Using a Mobile Device While Driving Could be Disastrous 

Washington State’s new cell phone law is already making an impact. Troopers of the Washington State Patrol issued nearly 670 citations for cell phone or texting violations between June 10 – the date the new cell phone and texting law went into effect – and July 1. As of June 10, Washington’s previous law on cell phones and texting moved from secondary to primary. That means officers no longer need some other reason to stop you if they see you texting or holding a cell phone to your ear.

One unique aspect of this law is that Washington State Patrol did not give a formal grace period, as it typically does with new laws. Because the basic behavior has already been illegal for two years, troopers were told to enforce the new law in exactly the same way as every other violation. Along with the more than 670 citations, nearly 500 warnings were issued. During the same period in 2009, only about 110 cell phone and texting citations were issued by the Washington State Patrol.

Think using a cell phone while driving doesn’t contribute to accidents? Between 2006 and 2008 in Washington more than 3,000 drivers were involved in collisions while using hand-held wireless devices – many of them resulting in serious injury to the driver and, more important, innocent people who were hurt in the accident.

To put it in more graphic terms, using a cell phone behind the wheel can delay reaction times by as much as 20 percent. And consider this: at 40 miles per hour, if you take 5 seconds to look down at a text, your car will have traveled 293 feet, or almost the length of an average city block. A lot can happen in the length of a block.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured due to the negligence of someone talking or texting on a cell phone, you may be able to file a personal injury claim and get compensation for your injuries. If you think you have a claim contact our Seattle personal injury attorneys for a free consultation. You obtain the best possible legal services at the time of your injury without having to pay money out of your pocket for legal services. No recovery means no attorney fee.