Distracted Driver Kills Elementary Schoolboy
Deadly Distracted Driving
This past December, Brandi Dulin, a teenager from Muskego, dropped her cell phone while she was driving. Searching for the phone, Brandi inadvertently swerved her car into a parked school bus. The impact of car crash caused her car to plow underneath the school bus. Miraculously, Brandi escaped without any serious injuries. Luckily, the school bus was empty and nobody else was hurt by this young woman’s distracted driving.
Others have not been so fortunate. Judy Teater of Spring Lake Michigan was taking her son Joe home from an afterschool activity. A young woman talking on her cell phone ran a red light and hit the passenger side of Judy’s car. Joe was killed immediately.
My heart goes out to the families and victims of distracted driving accidents. I, along with the staff of the Christensen Law Firm, offer our deepest condolences to those who are put in the position of experiencing a tragic and sudden loss of a loved one. We join in the cause to bring awareness to our community about dangers of distracted driving.
What Is Distracted Driving?
Distracted driving is a leading cause of car accidents nationwide. According to the United States Transportation Department, 5,780 traffic accident fatalities resulted directly from distracted driving. Distracted driving includes any activity that takes a motorists attention from driving and the road. The Official US Government Website for Distracted Driving states that there are three main types of distractions:
1. Visual- Anything that takes your eyes of the road
2. Manual- Anything that takes your hands off the wheel
3. Cognitive—Anything that takes your mind of driving
Sounds abstract, right? Distractions constitute a very broad range. During the business of our lives, often times we are guilty of trying to multitask while commuting. Following is a short list of activities that qualify for creating distracting driving conditions:
• Texting
• Talking on the your cell phone (whether or not it is handheld or bluetooth)
• Talking to passengers
• Playing with the radio dials
• Eating
• Grooming/Applying make-up
• Reading
National Headlines: Cracking Down on Distracted Driving in America
On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, Ray LaHood, Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation ,and Janet Froestscher, President of the National Safety Council announced the creation of FocusDriven, the first national nonprofit organization dedicated to ending distracted driving in the United States. FocusDriven is the brain child of the Septemeber 2009 National Distracted Driving Summit held in Washington DC by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). FocusDriven, modeled after the nonprofit organization Mothers against Drunk Driving (MADD), aims to bring awareness about distracted driving and will specifically target ending cell phone usage while driving.
National statistics presented at the conference on Tuesday reported that 28% of all traffic accidents are caused when people talk on cell phones or send text messages while driving. That means that 1.4 million car crashes are caused by cell phone conversations .Furthermore, studies conducted overwhelming demonstrate that cell phone use of any kind distracts drivers.
Utah is one of the 19 states that ban texting while driving. 6 states have additional restrictions on cell phone use. In California, using hand held cell phone use while driving is against the law. "I'm on a rampage about distracted driving. I'm not going to give up on it," LaHood stated. "I'm going to do everything I can to try to make sure people drive safely— without cell phones, without Bluetooth, without Blackberries."
When involved in an automobile accident related to distracted driving, victims should get in touch with an experienced Utah personal injury lawyer, who will analyze all aspects of the accident, examine the police reports and interview witnesses to make sure the negligent and at-fault parties are held responsible for their actions.The talented and experienced attorneys at The Christensen Law Firm, PLLC represent injured persons and their families. If you have suffered a serious injury in the state of Utah, contact The Christensen Law Firm right away to receive a free consultation with one of our skilled Utah personal injury lawyers. You can reach us at 801.506.0800.
