If you have been involved in a car accident in Washington, DC with someone whom you believe may have been texting and driving, you are far from alone.
Washington, DC Texting and Driving Accident Lawyers say texting and driving falls into the category of distracted driving. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Each day in the United States, approximately nine people are killed and more than 1,000 injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver.”
As drivers become more reliable on their mobile phones for communications, music, GPS music, GPS, that number continues to rise, especially among young drivers. No one knows this fact better than a Texting and Driving Accident Lawyer in the D.C. Metro area.
Why is Texting and Driving So Dangerous?
The CDC breaks down distracted driving into the three categories listed below:
- Cognitive distraction occurs when your thoughts are no longer on the task of driving, but instead, something else.
- Visual distraction takes your eyes off the road as you focus your vision on something other than driving.
- Manual distraction happens when the driver physically removes his or her hands from the wheel to take part in another activity.
No matter what causes a distraction, in particular, is dangerous because it combines each form of any distraction simultaneously. The thoughts are on the text (whether it be reading or typing), the eyes are on the mobile device (reading or typing), and the hands are removed from the wheel and placed on the mobile device (to pull up a text message and/or type).
Because of the high risk of an accident when the driver is texting, texting and driving car accidents in many states now outnumber those of drinking and driving. This is likely the reason behind a texting ban in place in 47 states (Maryland included) and in the District of Columbia.
Texting and Driving Accidents in Washington, DC Metro Area
Because texting and driving is considered to be negligent, the law will likely work in your favor if you’ve been involved in a collision caused by a driver who is texting while driving.
However, proving the other driver was texting and driving can present challenges, which is why you should consider getting an experienced Washington, DC personal injury lawyer on your side. The insurance carrier for the at fault driver will likely deny your claim that texting and driving was the cause of the collision and it could come down to your word against theirs. However, you do have options.
Washington, DC Texting and Driving Accident Attorney
The Accident Attorneys at The Lapidus Law Firm have over 40 years of experience helping injured people of all ages to obtain settlements in cases involving texting while driving and other negligent behavior if your injuries were caused by a driver who was texting while driving. Call us today for a free consultation at (202) 785-5111. We can help!