Anti-drunk driving campaigns and tough laws have helped reduce the number of DUI accidents. We hope to see the same trend happen with texting and driving as people begin to comprehend that it can have tragic consequences.
Irvine, CA (PRWEB) March 27, 2014
Commenting on a recent news story quoting California Highway Patrol officials who say texting and driving is more dangerous than driving drunk, Irvine car accident lawyer Daniel C. Carlton said today he was not surprised to hear of their conclusions. He said other studies have compared the dangers of texting while driving to drinking and driving, and he has handled many distracted driving cases over the past several years.
According to an ABC 10 News report, California Highway Patrol officials say distracted driving citations that involved texting drivers have gone up 42 percent across California since 2011. Attorney Carlton said that the increase in texting convictions reflects the increase in distracted driving personal injury claims he has handled at his firm.
“While distracted driving has been a problem on the roads for decades and decades, texting and driving has become a major factor in many crashes over the last few years. Unfortunately it appears to be a growing problem,” Carlton said. “Despite widespread public awareness campaigns and crackdowns by law enforcement, drivers continue to text and drive and put themselves and everyone sharing the road at risk of serious injuries or death. Anti-drunk driving campaigns and tough laws have helped reduce the number of DUI accidents. We hope to see the same trend happen with texting and driving as people begin to comprehend that it can have tragic consequences.”
According to ABC 10 News, officials from the California Highway Patrol said that drunk drivers are four times more likely to be involved in a car accident. By comparison, texting drivers are up to 23 times more likely to cause a car accident, California Highway Patrol officials said.
California Highway Patrol officer Jake Sanchez told ABC 10 News that texting drivers take an average of 4.6 seconds to read a text message and could take an addition 4.6 seconds to respond, meaning texting drivers could take their attention off-the-road for a total of 9.2 seconds per text message.
Carlton said he understands that some drivers will continue to take risks and text, even though it’s illegal to text and drive in California. “Most drivers would never think about getting behind the wheel after drinking too much,” Carlton said. “They know how serious the consequences are. That’s how it should be with texting and driving. We hope that people will look at texting and driving in the same light as drinking and driving.”
Carlton said that individuals injured in texting accidents in California or families who lost loved ones should seek the advice of legal counsel. An attorney can help pursue compensation and closure and hold the negligent individual accountable.”
The ABC 10 News story cited is “California Highway Patrol: Texting while driving surpasses dangers of drunken driving,” published on March 5, 2014.
About Dan Carlton
Located in Irvine, California, personal injury attorney Daniel C. Carlton has a well-earned a reputation throughout Orange County for being a top-notch lawyer who delivers results. His areas of focus include auto and truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, uninsured motorists’ accidents, premises accidents, serious injuries, wrongful death, real estate law and business litigation. Attorney Carlton has more than 35 years of experience as a lawyer and has earned the highest rating given to lawyers by the renowned Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating system.
Daniel C. Carlton
Attorney At Law
19700 Fairchild, Suite 280
Irvine, CA 92612
(949) 757-0707
http://www.dancarlton.com/