Driving a motor vehicle requires a person’s full attention at all times. Unfortunately, as smartphones have become commonplace in everyday life, many people text, surf the Internet, or engage in social media forums, like Twitter and Facebook while behind the wheel. The average amount of time someone looks at their phone while driving is roughly five seconds. Someone who takes their eyes off the road for five seconds while driving 55 miles per hour travels the length of a football field. Considering these dangers, the consequences of distracted driving are both predictable and tragic.
According to the most recent statistics compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) distracted driving kills more than 3,000 people each year. In 2014, more than 430,000 people were injured in crashes caused by distracted driving.
How have Kentucky lawmakers responded to the texting while driving epidemic?
In 2011, Kentucky banned texting while driving. Kentucky is one of 46 states that have barred texting while driving. This law, however, only bans texting. It does not bar drivers from using surfing the Internet, using social media, or using their phone in other ways while driving. While lawmakers across the state have proposed expanding this ban to include all phone use, it has not gained traction. In the coming years, it will be interesting to see if drivers decrease their phone usage, or if lawmakers pass increased laws.
If you have been injured by a distracted driver, or have been involved in any type of motor vehicle collision, it is critical to work with lawyers who will fight to help you recover all damages available under the law. The attorneys of Robinson Salyers help people across Kentucky in a broad range of accident injury cases.
Sources: Facts and Statistics, Distraction.gov, Kentucky texting and driving law difficult to enforce, The Courier Journal, March 2, 2015, by Chris Kenning