South Carolina Car Crash Lawyer Mark Joye Supports New Charleston Ordinance Outlawing Texting While Driving
North Charleston, S.C. (PRWEB) October 26, 2013 -- Attorney Mark Joye today praised a recent decision by the Charleston City Council to ban texting while driving in the city, calling it a good step toward protecting people in the city from car accidents caused by distracted driving.
“It’s been well established that distracted driving – and in particular texting while driving – is unsafe and causes crashes that can lead to injury and death,” said Joye, a partner in Joye Law Firm, a personal injury practice with offices in Charleston, Myrtle Beach and Clinton. “At our firm, we applaud our local city council for doing the right thing and banning this dangerous practice. It’s a very good step, and we hope the state of South Carolina will follow suit and pass a statewide ban on texting while behind the wheel.”
According to an article in the Charleston Post and Courier, the law, which makes texting while driving a primary offense, will go into effect in December. Violators will have to pay a $100 fine, plus court costs. The Oct. 8 article carried the headline, “Charleston bans texting while driving.”
Charleston joins neighboring Mount Pleasant in banning texting while driving, but the Charleston ordinance goes beyond just banning texting. The Charleston Post and Courier article reported that the ordinance bans scrolling through stored music, using a phone’s GPS function unless the address is entered before driving, taking or sending photos and using email. The law also applies to drivers of other vehicles, including mopeds and horse carriages.
“The new ordinance effectively declares war on the problem of distracted driving in Charleston,” Joye said. “I hope residents and visitors to our city will heed the call of the city council and stop texting, emailing and playing games on their cell phones while behind the wheel.”
Joye pointed to statistics from the Distraction.gov website that show the dangers of distracted driving, including texting while driving:
• The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 3,331 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver in 2011, and 387,000 were injured. In the same year, 10 percent of injury crashes were linked to distracted driving. NHTSA also reports that about 1 in 5 accidents involve at least one distracted driver.
• Driving while using a cell phone delays reaction time as much driving drunk, according to NHTSA.
• The National Occupant Protection Use Survey reports that at any given moment of daylight in the country, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving. That statistic has held steady since 2010.
• Performing “visual-manual subtasks” such as reaching for a phone, dialing and texting increases the risk of getting into a crash by three times, according to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
• The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute reports that 25 percent of teens respond to a text message once or more every time they drive, and 20 percent of teens and 10 percent of parents admit that they have extended, multi-message text conversations while driving.
“These statistics clearly show the dangers of distracted driving. Eliminating texting while driving and other distractions could save lives and prevent serious injuries,” Joye said. “Unfortunately, many people have already been impacted by distracted driving.”
Joye urged anyone injured in a distracted driving accident to consult with an experienced attorney such as those at Joye Law Firm. “Our firm has the experience to analyze every element of a distracted driving case to fight for the full and fair compensation the injured person deserves,” he said.
About Joye Law Firm
Since 1968, Joye Law Firm has been fighting to help people throughout South Carolina with their legal challenges in a broad range of practice areas, including car accidents, truck accidents, birth injury, brain injury, defective products, drug injury, nursing home abuse, Social Security disability, spinal cord injury, motorcycle accidents, workers’ compensation and wrongful death. The South Carolina law firm has offices in Charleston, Myrtle Beach and Clinton, but assists clients throughout the state. The firm’s Charleston-area office is located at Northgate Office Building, 5861 Rivers Avenue, North Charleston, SC 29406 (local phone 843-554-3100). Its Myrtle Beach office is located at 8703 Highway 17 Bypass, Unit H, Myrtle Beach, SC 29575. The Clinton office is located at 509 North Broad Street, Clinton, SC 29325. Contact Joye Law Firm by calling 888-324-3100 or filling out its online contact form.
Michael Gardner, Consultwebs.com, Inc., http://www.consultwebs.com, +1 (859) 575-0814, [email protected]
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