Steven M. Goldberg has represented a number of clients in motor vehicle cases where distracted drivers on public highways were involved in crashes, causing either serious injuries or deaths. It’s being reported that distracted drivers are becoming more and more prevalent and therein lies a serious safety problem on our highways. If a driver of a vehicle engages in an activity that has the potential to take attention away from the primary task of driving, that person is then driving while distracted. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, 20% of injury crashes reported in 2009 involved distracted driving.
There are three main types of distraction:
Depending upon the distraction of choice, whether it be texting, emailing or talking on a cell phone, putting on makeup, eating, or simply fast forwarding to the next song on a smart device, one or more of the above distraction types come into play. The more distraction types are involved, the greater is the likelihood of a crash. A good example of this cumulative effect is a driver using a hand-held device. While a person is looking at, manipulating and concentrating on the device, that person has a 400% increased likelihood of getting into a crash serious enough to injure themselves, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
