April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and law enforcement across the country will be cracking down. One tagline being used for the campaign: One Text or Call could Wreck it All. Nearly 6,000 people are killed and another 500,000 injured each year nationally in car and truck accidents caused by a distracted driver.
Scientific studies have shown that using a cell phone in any fashion while driving reduces your focus on the road by 37 percent. One study from Virginia Tech University found that in a study of truck drivers, they were 23 times more likely to be in a car accident if they were text messaging. It is now illegal for commercial drivers to use a cell phone in any capacity.
Texting while driving is currently banned in 34 states and Washington DC. Many other states are drafting and voting on legislation, but regardless of what state you are in, you should never text while driving. The consequences are even more severe for truck and bus drivers who have a greater responsibility for public safety and are operating larger vehicles.
Distracted driving covers anything that takes your attention away from the road: using a GPS device, adjusting the radio, eating, applying makeup, tending to pets, etc. So it is important to remember—any of these distractions, any one text or call could indeed “wreck it all.”
Spevack Law Firm—Middlesex County truck accident attorneys.