Some of the latest statistics regarding distracted driving are not encouraging when it comes to evaluating whether and to what extent stepped up enforcement against texting in driving here in Texas and in other parts of the country are working.
According to this study, which was conducted last year, around 50 percent of parents are willing to use their cell phones while their children are in the car riding with them. More disturbingly, about a third of parents admitted to taking their eyes off the road long enough to read a text, and a quarter of them admitted to sending instant messages. One in seven admitted to using social media, like Instagram.
Obviously, this sort of behavior means that the driver is putting the children, which in the study were as young as four, who are counting in them to drive safely at great risk. One need not repeat in detail how easy it is to have a fatal car accident or other serious crash when one’s hands are not on the wheel and one’s eyes are not on the road.
Moreover, it endangers other drivers on the road too. Finally, as the children who watch their parents text and drive get older, they may see the rules forbidding as mere inconvenience that they have, or ought to have, the right to ignore.
If a Killeen or Fort Hood resident gets injured by a distracted driver, whether the driver was texting or engaged in some other distracted behavior, then legal options may be available to that victim. One such option is to file a personal injury lawsuit against the victim in order to seek compensation for things like medical bills, lost wages and other damages.