TX Auto Accident Attorney: Night driving and cell phones, biggest risk for teens
Driving after dark accounts for more fatal crashes among teens than any other single factor, Top Texas automobile accident lawyer, Amy K. Witherite reports.
05/28/2010
Austin, TX (News)-A report conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute revealed that nighttime driving among teens is the most dangerous risk a young and inexperienced driver can take. The 10-year national study, which was released on May 6, 2010, found that talking or texting on cell phones is the likely contributor for the rise in nighttime crashes, as reported by the Washington Post.
While most teens immediately say that alcohol is a driving risk, only 3 percent are aware that driving at night is risky too. Texting and/or talking on a cell phone combined with driving at night, only creates a looming disaster among inexperienced drivers.
Nationwide, there has been a 10 percent increase among 16 to 19-year-old drivers involved in nighttime fatal crashes from 1999 through 2008. The report stated, “The resulting fatigue, especially late at night, can contribute to impairment that is similar to being intoxicated.” Following nighttime driving, speed distractions, failure to wear a seat belt and alcohol use were top causes of fatalities among teenage drivers.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who is also an advocate for ending texting and cell phone use while driving stated, “A quarter of all teens admit to texting behind the wheel and, in 2008, the highest proportion of distracted drivers in fatal crashes were under the age of 20. Teen drivers are some of the most vulnerable drivers on the road due to inexperience, and adding cell phones to the mix only compounds the dangers.”
Thanks to ever-evolving technology, parents can help combat texting or talking on cell phones while their teenagers are behind the wheel. Apps like iZup, tXtBlocker, CellSafety and ZoomSafer, lock up your phone while the car is in motion, so you can’t text, call, email or surf the Internet while behind the wheel. The phone’s GPS can calculate your speed, and if your moving over 5 or 10 mph, your phone is automatically locked. Incoming calls go directly to voice mail and incoming text messages wont appear until you stop driving.
Texas’ leading litigator of automobile accident cases, Amy Witherite, urges parents to do their part and have a talk with their teens about the dangers of distracted driving and driving at night. Together we can make the roadway safer. But should you or someone you love become injured or killed due to a distracted driver, auto accident attorney, Amy Witherite, may be able to help you recover the damages that you deserve. Contacting an experienced automobile accident lawyer who has a proven track record of litigating accident claims may help you recover damages you deserve.
Texas drunk driving accident news by Dallas automobile accident lawyer Amy K. Witherite.
3100 Monticello, Suite 500, Dallas, Texas 75205
Phone: (214) 378-6665
