Car Accidents Caused by Distracted Driving
Car wreck lawyer. Car accident attorney. Personal injury lawyer. These are all some of the monikers I am known by. Working with Orange County car accident victims over the years I have seen my share of lives disrupted by automobile accidents. In many of these cases–if not the vast majority—some form of driver impairment is to blame. I recently wrote an article about drinking and driving, and that is the cause of many motor vehicle accidents. However, distractions while driving can also result in the serious injuries I see as a personal injury attorney.
Distraction can come in many ways. Fumbling for something on the floor of the car. Taking too long to change the radio station. Even turning your head in conversation with your passenger. If there’s one distraction that I unfortunately see with increasing regularity and that’s texting while driving.
Texting while driving Orange County
In the last 20 years we as a society have become inextricably attached to our mobile devices. That desire to remain connected to those cell phones at all times—including while we are driving—has resulted in thousands of car accidents, severe injuries, and sadly, fatalities. As an injury attorney here in Tustin California I know the statistics all too well. The people I represent for the victims of those who choose that constant connection to their mobile phones.
Over the years many state and local governments have produced public service announcements warning of the dangers of distracted driving. Despite their best efforts texting while driving remains a problem. Some studies have even determined that there are underlying psychological reasons why some find it almost impossible to disengage from their cell phones, including this article by Cook and Jones. In their article they refer to a 1977 study which attributes things such as texting to an underlying “problem behavior syndrome.” Regardless, the lives of those injured in automobile accidents are no less devastated even if a contributing cause is something such as an underlying propensity for dangerous behavior.
I’ve seen the damage that texting while driving can do and the purpose of this blog post is to add one more voice to the call to refrain from this type of behavior. I speak not only as an attorney but as a husband and father who wants to see my family travel the road safely. Indeed I drive the same roads and I don’t want to be the victim of distracted driving myself. If I could make one request it would be to echo what’s been said many times before. Put the phone away. Texting can wait.
Texting while driving remains a serious problem and if you’ve been injured in Orange County due to this all-too-dangerous behavior, please contact me at my Tustin offices for a free consultation. Texting has ruined many lives, and taken and many more, but I would do everything in my power to make sure that you, as the victim, see justice done.