National Safety Council Watchdog Group Joins This Philadelphia Car Accident Attorney In The Calling For A Total Ban On Cell Phone Use While Driving
On April 7, 2008 and August 17, 2008, I addressed on the Reiff & Bily blog issues concerning the usage of a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle. I noted that the Philadelphia car accident lawyers of Reiff & Bily have handled numerous car accident cases that could have easily been prevented which were caused by drivers not paying attention while having a conversation or text messaging on a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle, causing permanent and catastrophic injuries.
Any “plain fool” can recognize that a person with a cell phone or PDA in one hand and driving with the other hand will not have their complete attention paid to the road and hence, will not have their vehicle in complete control if an emergency situation arises. The distracted cell phone driver is a major cause of accidents and rollovers in Pennsylvania and around the country.
The National Safety Council, a Federal watchdog group, has called for the total ban of cell phone use behind the wheel which is a much stricter rule than the state’s law against hand-held cell phones. The Congressionally chartered watch group stated that its proposal is based on scientific studies that reveal that talking on the phone while driving quadruples the risk of a crash.
Six states have laws against using hand-held phones. However, none bans the use of them outright. The lawyers at the Pennsylvania car accident law firm of Reiff & Bily are currently involved in multiple cases where distracted drivers using cell phones caused catastrophic injuries. In one particular case, the distracted driver of a vehicle was text messaging his girlfriend while his close friend and passenger innocently sat in the back seat of the vehicle. The driver lost control of an SUV, causing it to rollover and eject all of the occupants, resulting in catastrophic injuries. My wife was personally involved in an accident where someone backing out of a parking spot hit her vehicle while talking on a cell phone.
I am consistently amazed by how many people are driving while having conversations on cell phones. One of the first things we do at the Philadelphia car accident law firm of Reiff & Bily is investigate whether or not the driver of any vehicle involved in an accident was operated by a driver who was distracted by a cell phone, blackberry or other electronic device that can be tied to liability.
I personally feel that while it may be convenient to speak on a cell phone via speaker phone while driving, common sense dictates that people should not drive while distracted. Many people are just not that good at multitasking. This is why many of the wireless carriers have adopted campaigns regarding the sensibility of talking on the phone while driving.
While some of us may state that the issue boils down to freedom of choice, it seems that being totally connected 24/7 and using a cell phone while driving has resulted in a detriment to individuals’ safety. I am sure that this is a measure that will continue to be debated as more and more people become aware of the dangers and resulting injuries caused while speaking on a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle.
If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident, please contact the Philadelphia car accident lawyers at Reiff & Bily for a free confidential evaluation of your claim or browse our website at www.reiffandbily.com.
