Many of our readers in Virginia have probably noticed the increased attention that the problem of distracted driving has received in recent years. In addition to public information campaigns, many states have passed laws to prohibit some types of distracted driving, such as in-hand cellphone use. Are these efforts really working?
According to a recent article, the answer might be “no.” In fact, the recent article noted that data and an insurance study point to distracted driving actually being on the uptick throughout America.
What the data says
The article mentioned data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that shows a sharp increase in traffic deaths in America – up 10.5% in one recent year, 2021. That increase comes, according to the report, after “decades” of declining traffic death numbers. Those increases coincide with numbers from an insurance study that shows certain, specific distracted driving conduct has also been on the rise.
As our readers can probably imagine, cellphone use is one of the primary culprits when it comes to distracted driving. Social media, texting, email, talking and even making videos and taking photos are all forms of cellphone use that the insurance study cited in the recent article showed were on the rise. People just can’t seem to leave their cellphones alone and focus on the task of driving – and it is likely causing people to lose their lives and suffer serious injuries in car crashes. If you have been injured in a car accident that was caused by a distracted driver, be sure to have your potential claim evaluated and get the right information about how to potentially proceed with a personal injury lawsuit.