The Southeast Missourian newspaper of Cape Girardeau, Missouri recently published several user submitted stories focusing on the dangers of texting while driving an automobile. Both users commented on their frustrations with Missouri drivers who text while driving. The commentaries included real life car accident scenarios involving automobile accidents in Missouri where one of the drivers was texting. In one case, a young teen driver was texting while driving her car. She veered off of the road while attempting to read a text and crashed head-on into a parked car. She had to be taken to the emergency room for injuries she sustained in the accident. In another example, a worker was driving a truck when he tried to text a co-worker about picking up materials for a job site. When he looked up, the traffic in front of him had stopped. He rear-ended the car in front of him and was in turn rear-ended by a semi truck. The crash resulted in the worker's death.
One of the commentators cited a recent study by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute that compiled statistics on the use of cell phones and texting while driving. According to the commentator, the VTTI study found that the leading cause of distracted driver traffic crashes in Missouri, as well as across the country, was texting. According to the study, 80% of car crashes involve driver distraction; and, texting is the number one thing that distracts motorists' attention.
A review of the VTTI findings reveals interesting statistics about the relationship between automobile crashes and cell phone use while driving a car. The VTTI study included motor vehicle drivers and truck drivers. The study found that manual manipulation of phones, such as dialing and texting, led to a substantial increase in the risk of being involved in a car crash, truck crash or near crash event. An automobile driver dialing a cell phone was 2.8 times more likely to be involved in a car crash (or near crash) than a non-distracted driver. In heavy vehicles such as trucks, the driver was 5.9 times more likely to be involved in an auto crash or near crash. The highest risk increase came from drivers of heavy vehicles and trucks who were text messaging. These drivers' risk of being involved in an automobile wreck or near wreck was 23.2 times higher than a non-distracted driver.
These commentaries highlight what Missouri personal injury lawyers have known for some time, namely that distracted driving causes car accidents in Missouri. Most accident attorneys in Missouri have been aggressively focusing on distracted conduct like cell phone use and texting to prosecute negligence claims against distracted drivers whose conduct causes injury or death. Cell phone use and texting are extreme examples of distracted driving. Other conduct, including reading, eating or putting on make-up while driving a car or truck, can be just as distracting and cause equally tragic injuries on Missouri roadways. Most car accident lawyers will try to determine, through the discovery process, if the defendant driver was engaging in any type of distracted driving prior to a car accident.
The Southeast Missourian, Texting While Driving, October 8, 2010
