As West Virginia readers may know, a recent study reportedly connects cellphone use to cancer in rodents, which caused quite an uproar. While many people are anxious over the tie between cellphones and radiation exposure, one writer points out that the true danger of cellphones is their role in distracted driving. Cellphones are the single most common source of motor vehicle accidents involving distracted drivers.
Just over this past holiday weekend, dozens of fatalities related to distracted driving occurred all across the country, all related to cellphones. Even the simple act of reading a text message can take a driver’s eyes off the road for several seconds. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that, in the few seconds that it takes to read one text, a car can travel the length of a football field.
While distracted driving can include many different types of dangerous behaviors, it is most commonly associated with cellphones. Talking on the phone, texting and using social media is dangerous for a driver and others in his or her car. It also places every other West Virginia driver and passenger at an increased and unnecessary risk for an accident.
When a person is injured by a distracted driver, he or she has the right to a full and fair recovery. A lawyer can help victims of motor vehicle accidents understand their available legal options and properly identify the liable parties. While financial compensation cannot undo the damage that has been done, it can help a victim receive the care he or she deserves. Distracted driving is inexcusable, but victims do not have to face the aftermath alone.
Source: Forbes, “Cell Phones Associated With Dozens Of Holiday Weekend Deaths — But Not From Cancer“, David Kroll, May 31, 2016
