Automobile accidents resulting from distracted driving are a growing concern. You must locate the best lawyer in Reading for personal injury if you, or a family member, have been injured in an automobile accident caused by a distracted driver.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood kicked off a two-day Distracted Driving Summit in Washington, D.C. commencing on September 30, 2009, by noting “Every single time someone takes their eyes or their focus off the road – even for a few seconds – they put their lives and the lives of others in danger. Distracted driving is unsafe, irresponsible and in a split second, its consequences can be devastating.”
Secretary LaHood also announced new statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) attributing more than 5,870 deaths and 515,000 injuries in 2008 to distracted driving. Driving distraction was reported to have been involved in 16 percent of all fatal crashes last year according to data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). The age group with the greatest proportion of distracted drivers was the under-20 age group—16 percent of all under-20 drivers in fatal crashes were reported to have been distracted while driving. An estimated 21 percent of injury crashes were reported to have involved distracted driving according to data from the General Estimates System (GES).
The NHTSA report noted that there has been increased attention on the danger of distracted driving recently, specifically on the dangers of cell phone use and texting while driving. Other dangerous distractions referenced in the report included eating, drinking, conversation with passengers, as well as interaction with in-vehicle technologies and portable electronic devices.
It is important to find the best personal injury lawyer when pursuing an injury claim arising out of distracted driving. The lawyers at Liever, Hyman & Potter, P.C. have handled many distracted driving cases successfully.
By Andrew F. Fick, Esquire