April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month
HADDONFIELD, NEW JERSEY — Gerald Williams and David Cedar, partners in Williams Cedar LLP, are announcing that April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and telling motorists that they should be aware of other drivers who are not paying attention to the road. If they are involved in a crash with a distracted driver, they should seek legal help immediately.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 3,000 deaths and approximately 324,000 injuries are caused as the result of distracted driving. In addition, distracted driving accounts for 8%-9% of all traffic fatalities in the U.S. and approximately 15% of crashes resulting in injuries.
Distracted driving falls into four categories: visual (looking at a cell phone, turning away to talk to someone in the car), auditory (listening to music, having the cell phone up to your ear, engaging in conversations with other occupants in the car), manual (taking your hands off the wheel to eat, drink or use the cell phone) and cognitive (when your eyes are on the road, but your mind is preoccupied with other thoughts).
Both New Jersey and Pennsylvania have laws in place that ban texting while driving, according to the Governors Highway Safety Administration; however, Pennsylvania does not ban the use of cell phones behind the wheel, while New Jersey does.
“Because of cell phones, the latest technology in our vehicles or the busyness of our lives, people can become distracted when they’re behind the wheel,” Mr. Williams says. “Make sure that the drivers around you are paying attention and not distracted. It may result in a crash that can cause serious injury or death.”
“If you have been involved in a crash with a distracted driver, or if your loved one has been injured or killed in a crash, please contact a personal injury attorney immediately,” Mr. Cedar says. “No one should have to suffer because of someone else’s negligence.”