Distracted Driving

DISTRACTED DRIVING ACCIDENTS

Why You Need a New York City Car Accident Lawyer

Distracted driving is a form of multitasking. For many people, distractions (like using a GPS or looking at your phone) are second nature. Anything that takes your focus away from the road may be considered a distraction, such as searching for the right CD, checking your voicemail, or looking at a text message. Although most of these actions seem harmless and may not be illegal, they can result in serious – if not fatal – car accidents. If you suffered an injury or lost a loved one in a car accident caused by a distracted driver, you need a car accident lawyer in New York City to help you recover the compensation that you deserve.

Common Distractions Include:

• Cellphones
• Texting
• Conversations
• Hands-free devices
• GPS devices
• Eating / drinking
• Adjusting the radio
• Loading the CD player
• MP3 players
• Loud music
• Reading
• Looking at road maps
• Watching videos / TV

Simply put, any activity that takes your concentration off the road and puts it somewhere else is a distraction. Unfortunately, the dangers of distracted driving are not understood by many drives in the United States. Campaigns and awareness programs have attempted to educate the general public about the dangers of driving distracted but innumerable motorists continue to drive while distracted every day.

Visual, Manual & Cognitive Distractions

Drivers can be distracted visually, manually and cognitively. A visual distraction takes the driver’s eyes off the road; a manual distraction takes the driver’s hands off the wheel; a cognitive distraction takes the driver’s mind off the road. For example, using a hands-free cell phone is a cognitive distraction, whereas a hand-held cellphone is a cognitive and manual distraction. Glancing at a road map or GPS device is a visual distraction. Texting while driving is considered especially dangerous because it requires the driver’s visual, manual and cognitive distraction. Grooming and applying makeup can distract the driver visually, manually and cognitively as well.

Texting While Driving is Illegal in New York City

New York state has enacted a ban on texting while driving for people of all ages, including a broad ban on handheld device use while driving. These laws are “primary enforcement” laws, which mean that a police officer can stop a driver without any other cause – that is how serious the state legislature is about cracking down on texting behind the wheel. The ban was implemented on July 12, 2011, and one year later Governor Cuomo reported that there had been 20,000 tickets issued to motorists for violations. The highest concentration of texting while driving tickets last year were issued in Manhattan (3,714), followed closely by Queens (3,334) and Brooklyn (3,234).

Contact Our New York City Car Accident Attorneys

If you’ve suffered an injury because of a distracted driver, you may be entitled to financial compensation. At the firm, we are committed to giving clients the best legal advocacy we can offer. If you’ve been hurt, contact our firm as soon as possible to begin discussing your legal rights and options. Not sure if you have a case? Fill out our online case evaluation form to see what an attorney form the firm can do for your case or contact us today. The sooner we hear from you, the faster our New York City personal injury lawyers can work together to create and effective and aggressive strategy for your case.