According to the United States Department of Transportation, car accidents caused by distracted driving resulted in 424,000 injuries and 2,910 deaths in 2013[1]. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, cell phone use alone quadruples a risk of car crashes[2]. In light of these facts, The United States Department of Transportation has announced that April 10-15, state and local law enforcement officers will be aggressively ticketing drivers who are texting or using their mobile devices behind the wheel.
In the time it takes to send or read a text message, which is less than five seconds, a car moving at 55 miles per hour can travel roughly 100 yards. So a driver texting is basically driving the length of a football field without looking[3].
Pennsylvania Courts have determined that a person who is injured in a car accident due to another driver texting or using his mobile device while driving may be entitled to punitive damages. This means that if the jury thinks that the defendant texting while driving is so outrageous and reckless, they may award the injured person damages above and beyond just compensation as a way to punish the defendant and deter others from texting while driving.
[1] DOT HS 812 132, Summary of Statistical Findings, April, 2015.
[2] 2012 AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, www.aaafoundation.org.
[3] U.S. Department of Transportation, http://www.dot.gov/fastlane/u-drive-u-text-u-pay-and-demonstration-deadly-distraction.
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