Why Cell Phones Cause Accidents

Cell phones have become a common place in today's society; almost everyone has one, young and old!  Even though more and more car manufacturers are designing stereo and control units to incorporate bluetooth and cell phone controls, not every manufacturer still provides hands free systems for their vehicle models. Even more concerning is that the majority of people who use cell phones in their cars do not either know how to link their cell phones to their car's bluetooth or choose not to altogether. Why is this a risk for you or a loved one driving next to that man or woman with their cellular phone in one hand covering the side of their face as they speak into the cell? Cell phones are one of the leading causes of car accidents in our country, and that includes Florida.

Here are the facts, nearly twenty five percent (25%) of all automobile accidents are caused by texting while driving, and this does not include the statistics of people talking on their cellular phones while driving.  Texting while driving makes a person twenty three times (23x) more times likely to cause or be involved in a car accident.  In February of 2013, 26.2% of motorists admitted typing or sending an email while driving. Each year, the percentage of accidents reported by a driver texting while driving has increased. Although that percentage increases marginally, the number that this percentage equates to is considerable.

States throughout the country have already adopted laws prohibiting cell phone use while driving, excepting hands free connected devices, and Florida is behind that movement considering the adoption of similar laws due to the increasing statistics of car accidents caused by cell phone use. Here are some of the national statistics and information about driving while texting that you may not be aware of, but may place the danger more in perspective:

* In 2011, at least 23% of auto collisions involved cell phones, which equals 1.3 million crashes
* The minimal amount of time attention is taken away from the road while texting and driving, 5 seconds
* If travelling at 55mph, 5 seconds equals the total length of a football field, over 100 yards
* Texting is the longest "eyes of the road" time of all distracted activities, see below for risks of cell use:
    -  Text Messaging makes crashes 23x more likely
    -  Dialing 2.8x more risk
    - Talking or listening, 1.3x more risk
    - Reaching for a cellular device, 1.4x more risk

* Drivers between the age of 18-20 incolved in car wrecks admitting to texting while driving, 13%
* Cell phone use statistics while driving:
    - 34% admit that they text while driving
    - 82% of Americans age 16-17 own cellular phones
    - 52% admit they talk on the cell while driving
    - 77% of young adults who are confident that they can safely text while drive
    - 55% of young adult drivers claim it is easy to text while driving

Statistics sourced from TextingandDrivingSafety.com

If you cause an accident while texting or using a cellular, it is more likely that you will be cited for a traffic violation and cause personal injury to another. If you or a loved one has been injured due to a car accident, call K/S, Attorneys at Law at (561) 939-8042, Palm Beach, and (954) 956-7676, Broward, and schedule your free consultation to discuss your rights with one of our seasoned and experienced personal injury attorneys.

If your vehicle has a bluetooth connection to enable hands free, on average it will take you thirty (30) seconds to one (1) minute to set up your device to hands free capability in your car by pairing the cell device to your car's head unit.  Once that pairing is complete, each time you start your car, your device will pair enabling you to speak hands free in your vehicle significantly reducing the likelihood of injury caused by the distraction of using your cellular while driving. Most vehicles also come equipped with voice controls that allow the driver to press the appropriate button on their steering wheel to dial a number or instruct the system to call a stored contact in its database.  Be smart, drive safely, and use hand's free!