More drivers are getting tickets for texting and driving in recent years in spite of efforts to reduce distracted driving. According to a news report on LoHud.com, the increase in the number of tickets for drivers is prompting insurance companies to send distracted-driving simulators to public events. The spurt is also prompting lawmakers to consider new technologies to crack down on texting and other dangerous behaviors while driving.
Increase in Distracted Driving
The Institute of Traffic Safety Management and Research in Albany notes that one in five fatal and personal injury crashes in New York between 2011 and 2015 were attributed to distracted driving. Officials say distracted driving is not just about texting. It includes a range of dangerous behaviors involving personal electronic devices from sending emails, posting on social media and livestreaming as you are driving as well as changing music on an iPod and operating a navigation system.
The institute states that car accidents involving distracted driving remained constant over the five years of data that was reviewed. What skyrocketed was ticketing for texting. New York’s ticketing for violating the state’s hand-held cell phone laws jumped from under 4 percent in 2011 to 39 percent in 2015.
More Stringent Enforcement
New York State stepped up the penalty in 2015 for texting while driving from three points to five points on one’s driver’s license and increased the fine to $200 for a first offense. Young drivers under 21 can get their licenses suspended for a first offense. Now, New York may see even greater levels of enforcement with the “textalyzer” technology, which will allow officials to determine if a driver was using his or her phone in the moments leading up to a car accident. However, the textalyzer has raised a number of issues including privacy and enforcement.
Distracted driving can have significant consequences in New York. When you get a ticket, it may affect your ability to qualify for insurance and affect your premiums. Even drivers who are not getting distracted driving tickets end up bearing the cost for this activity in their insurance premiums.
What Steps Can Drivers Take?
Distracted driving is not just limited to the use of cell phones or electronic devices. Any type of activity that takes your hands off the wheel, eyes off the road or attention away from the act of driving can result in a devastating crash. Here are some ways in which drivers can prevent such tragedies:
• Do not engage in any other activity while driving – whether these involve eating, talking to passengers or operating other navigational, entertainment electronics, etc. in the vehicle.
• Store loose possessions that may roll around inside the car so you won’t be tempted to reach for them on the floor or somewhere else.
• Be really ready before you leave. Adjust your seats, mirrors, climate controls and sound systems before hitting the road.
• Do not eat or drink while driving.
• Secure children and pets before you get underway. Reaching for a pet or a child can prove to be dangerous when you are on the road.
• Never use cell phones while driving. If you are having an emergency, pull over to a safe location and use your phone.
If You Have Been Injured
If you have been injured by a distracted or negligent driver, you may be able to seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost income and benefits, hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident caused by a distracted driver or if you have lost a loved one in an auto accident caused by a reckless driver or due to someone else’s negligence, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you.
Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
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Source: http://www.lohud.com/story/news/traffic/2017/10/02/texting-tickets-rise/668002001/