Texting While Driving or Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol - Which Is Worse?
For many years I have been writing articles about the dangers of texting or using a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle. As an experienced Philadelphia car accident attorney, I have seen all too many cases involving death or catastrophic injury due to the fact that someone was not paying full attention to the road because they were absorbed in a phone conversation or texting.
I recently had a friend visit from Israel and shared with him my joyful recognition of the new Philadelphia law banning the use of cell phones while operating a motor vehicle and he was surprised that it took so long as this law has already been in effect in Israel and other countries for some time now.
A few times a week I speak to clients of mine who have sustained catastrophic injuries, including the loss of limbs or neurological function, due to the fact that they were an occupant in a vehicle where the driver was using a cell phone or were in the unfortunate “other car” involved in a car accident caused by inattention to the road by a vehicle traveling in the other direction.
As I have analyzed the cases I am handling, I note that there is a great similarity between the accidents caused by drunk drivers and those caused by texting while driving, both extreme public safety hazards. Studies have indicated that drivers on cell phones or texting have the same reaction as someone legally intoxicated and that those talking on the phone while operating a vehicle are more than 4 to 5 times as likely to crash and that texting is even more dangerous. Studies have also revealed that hands free operation of a cell phone is similarly dangerous. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood stated that distracted driving is a “menace to society” during a summit held by the United States Department of Transportation.
I have written before that teenagers operating cell phones or texting while driving is a deadly combination and I have the results in my office to prove it. The United States lags behind other foreign countries in recognizing this deadly combination and this experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyer calls for a national law with more severe legislation directed towards curbing this hazardous behavior.
