Teen Distracted Driving Car Accidents

The NHTSA has indicated that the leading cause of death for 15-20-year-olds are vehicle crashes. In fact, one-third of all deaths among this age group are the result of car accidents. This is why it is so important for teen drivers to take the utmost care when operating motor vehicles. Their inexperience and reckless behavior can put them in situations where they can have trouble controlling their cars, increasing their risk of being in a major collision.

Cellular phone technology and the advent of email and social networks via the internet have truly revolutionized the way we communicate. This is especially true for teens, who utilize this new technology more often than any other group. A recent study by Pew Internet Research Center indicates that three out of every four 12-17-year-olds now own cell phones, up from 45% in 2004 and all studies indicate that they use them constantly — 72% of all teens – or 88% of teen cell phone users – are text-messagers, more than half of those teens (54%) text on a daily basis. It is no exaggeration to say that cell phone texting has become the preferred channel of communication between teens and their friends, with talking on cell phones a close second.

It is no wonder that the problem of teenagers texting while driving has reached near epidemic proportions in recent years. Another study by the Pew Research Center indicates that one in four (26%) of American teens of driving age say they have texted while driving, and half (48%) of all teens ages 12 to 17 say they’ve been a passenger while a driver has texted behind the wheel. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that any behavior that increases the distractions for a teen that is behind the wheel can be a recipe for disaster.

As Los Angeles car accident attorneys who deal with the most serious and tragic of injuries that result from driver negligence, our firm feels compelled to help educate the public on the topic of distracted driving accidents. The numbers are staggering – with 500,000 people being injured and 6,000 dying each year due to texting, talking on the phone, or emailing behind the wheel. We anticipate that these numbers only scratch the surface of the problem, with many fatal accidents that are attributed to other causes actually owing their origins to distracted drivers.

Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP are proud to have partnered with CBS 5 – San Francisco and other news, radio, and internet media outlets to get the word out about the dangers of texting while driving, especially among teen drivers.

Make the decision to NOT text and drive. The text can wait!