Supportive Attorneys Who Represent Clients Injured in Auto Accidents Caused by Texting While Driving
Distracted driving is an increasingly common cause of accidents in the Bronx and throughout NY
Everyone’s seen how even a single moment of distraction can affect a person’s driving capabilities. Another driver is talking on his or her cell phone without a headset and cuts you off, or a driver focuses on reading emails on a smartphone and nearly rear ends you because of it. Then there are those situations in which an accident happens because another driver was too busy texting or putting on makeup. For more than 35 years, the attorneys of James Newman, P.C. have been advocates for victims injured in all types of distracted driving accidents. Mobile phones and other devices are the newest and fastest growing distraction among drivers today — and because texting commands use of a person’s eyes, hands and brain, phones may also be the most dangerous.
New York leads the way in preventing distracted driving
In 2001, New York was the first state to pass a law banning drivers from talking on handheld devices while driving. In 2011, the state banned the use of handheld devices to send or receive texts or emails. And in 2014, the law against texting was strengthened further, increasing the penalties that the New York Department of Motor Vehicles applies against those who text and drive.
So what exactly constitutes distracted driving? Any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from his or her primary task of driving is a distraction. All distractions endanger the safety of drivers, passengers and bystanders. The most common types of distractions include the following:
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What makes distracted driving so dangerous?
There are at least three different facets of distraction that may affect a driver’s focus and lead him or her to cause a car accident in New York:
- Visual distractions take a driver’s eyes off the road
- Physical distractions take a driver’s hands off the wheel
- Cognitive distractions take a driver’s mind off what he or she is supposed to focus on — the road — and applies it to something else
Distracted driving is a bad idea, no matter if it’s texting or adjusting the radio. In 2012, there were 3,328 people killed in distraction-related crashes in the United States and an estimated 421,000 injured in motor vehicle accidents involving a distracted driver. But texting is perhaps the most dangerous distraction of all, because it engages all three facets of distracted driving.
In any form, distracted driving is negligent driving, and if you or someone you love was hurt in an accident as a result, you may have a right to compensation. When reading a text, a driver takes his or her eyes off the road for, on average, five seconds — that is enough time to travel the length of a football field, enough time to destroy another person’s property, health and happiness, or even enough time to take an innocent life.
Seek attorney representation if you’re a victim of distracted driving in the Bronx
At James Newman, P.C., our lawyers believe that those who are negligent should be held responsible for the damages they cause. Texting while driving and other forms of distracted driving cause thousands of accidents every year — and if you’ve suffered undue injury, you deserve to be compensated. Schedule your free initial consultation to discuss your case with our attorneys, James Newman and Kyle Newman — contact our firm online or call 718-823-3122 today to speak with a lawyer immediately. We are conveniently accessible by car, via public transportation or on foot.