Cell Phone Related Accidents on the Increase for Kansas City Traffic Law Firms

Folks don't realize how destracted they become whenever they pick up their cell phone while driving. Getting through Kansas City rush hour can be nerve-racking and ugly, but the added diversion of a cellular telephone can quickly create tragedies and attorney fees. Smart phones may have improved our lives and levels of communication, but they are very distracting and hazardous in the driver's seat of a car. It has been estimated that 1.6 million accidents a year are related to the distractions of a cell phone. Distractions are not all mobile phone linked, but cell phone distractions represent a large problem.

Kansas City Guidelines for Driving While Using a Mobile

The laws concerning driving and cell phones are being modified daily. Kansas City traffic lawyers have a unique struggle in regards to cell phone regulations because the city shares a state line between Kansas and Missouri, joining both states with roads and a huge metropolitan area. However, the Missouri side of this city doesn't regulate mobile devices usage while driving a motor vehicle. Changes are on the horizon for Missouri, however. Nationwide, the statistics continue to climb, encouraging new laws concerning phones behind the wheel.

Some states understand the potential risks and have laws in place to combat these issues. If you're driving through Kansas, even when you're stuck in traffic, at a stop sign or at a stop light, making use of your cell phone could result in having to hire a lawyer and/or considerable fines. Many people are not aware Kansas has this sort of law in place because it's not widely publicized. This law reads that it is illegal for anybody to text and drive, and drivers below the age of 21 are prohibited from cellphone use completely while they are driving. Be aware of your regional laws concerning cellular phones, as they change regularly.

Driving While Using a Cellular Phone General Reports

Research and statistics concerning driving when using a cell phone will almost certainly astonish you. Kansas City traffic attorneys have experienced a spectacular boost in sad cases involving cell phones and driving. The National Safety Council reports that 1.6 million wrecks per year occur as a direct result of using a cell phone while driving, and a whopping 330,000 injuries from accidents are caused by texting while driving. Texting while when driving is 6 times more likely than driving intoxicated to result in a car accident, and texting when driving accounts for a surprising 1 in 4 traffic accidents. Facts like that should make people think twice about picking up their cell phone while they're driving.

An intelligent person will look at the statistics and undoubtedly see the hazards of using a cell phone behind the wheel. Lawmakers and Kansas City traffic attorneys have been making an effort to alter cell phone laws to make our highways safer. When you answer a sms message while driving, it distracts you for about 5 seconds, and at 55 mph, that's like driving blind-folded over the length of a football field. Of all cell phone relevant activity, texting is absolutely the most hazardous. That's why 94% of individuals believe there should be a ban on texting while driving and 74% believe there should be a ban on any hand-held cell phone use while driving. Using hands-free cell phone methods doesn't seem to alter those numbers, either.

Teen Driving and Cellular Phone Research

Teen drivers have many distractions to deal with, but a cell phone can be deadly. It's a regrettable fact known by every Kansas City traffic lawyer on both sides of the state line that 21% of teenagers linked to deadly traffic accidents were distracted by their cell phones. Each day, 11 teenage drivers perish because they were distracted while texting and driving. It's because of research like this that laws are modifying nationwide. Waiting until the car is in park is the best time to answer a text message or respond to FaceBook.

The most preoccupied drivers driving on the road are those under 21. Kansas City traffic lawyers have seen their share of tragedies involving teens who were using their cell phones while behind the wheel. What's really surprising is that teens actually know better. A stunning 94% of teenage drivers said they knew whatever they were doing was serious and 35% admit to doing it in spite of knowing the pitfalls. To put it into perspective, texting and driving is statistically more dangerous than driving under the influence.

2012 Driving and Mobile Stats

2012 saw some astonishing increases in cellular phone related accidents. Traffic lawyers in Kansas City saw 2012 as a year with a very high number of distraction related accidents, a few of which were directly related to texting and driving. In 2012, there were 3,328 people killed in distraction-related car crashes, many of which included answering a mobile call or text message. Up to 50 % of all drivers driving on the road confess to answering their mobile devices while driving and yet another 58% will continue to drive while on the phone. Text messages are considerably more distracting than phone calls, but both of them are dangerous when driving.

Pedestrian-related injuries have been on the increase as a consequence of cell phone distractions. Kansas City traffic lawyers and lawmakers nationwide have experienced a surprising increase in accidents and fatalities involving pedestrians who were distracted by their phones. Research involving a number of Seattle's busiest crossing points were performed in 2012. Final results indicated it took an average of two added seconds to cross the street, and pedestrians were 4 times less likely to look before they crossed the street. Two seconds isn't a lot of time, nonetheless the study showed that a pedestrian is dangerously distracted when using a cell phone.

2012 Driving and Mobile Phone Statistics

2012 saw some staggering increases in mobile related auto accidents. Kansas City traffic lawyers are watching a dramatic increase in accidents of all types involving cellular telephone usage. Distractions like answering cell phone calls or text messages are the reason for 3,328 deaths that year. Nearly half of all drivers on the road admit to answering their phones while driving and yet another 58% carry on and drive while on the phone. Text messages are substantially more distracting than phone calls, but both are risky when driving.

Pedestrian injuries are rising as a result of cell phones, also. Surprisingly, Kansas City attorneys also have seen a rise in pedestrian disasters and deaths involving cell phones. Washington University did a 2012 study on a number of Seattle's most popular intersections. Results showed pedestrians that were texting were about two seconds slower crossing the intersection, and four times less inclined to look both ways before crossing. We were all taught while very young to check before we cross the road for basic safety, but a pedestrian with a cell phone is obviously distracted.

cellphones are distracting under any circumstance. Texting or using your cellular phone while driving may lead to very serious injuries and may require the help of a Kansas City lawyer. Using your cellular telephone while attempting to drive can end life as you know it in the blink of an eye. cellphone use while driving is becoming a nationwide issue and the likelihood of being involved in an incident increase every single day. Between 2012 and 2013, the number of cellular telephone distraction-related deaths has dropped 6.7%. With this thought, education is extremely important to reducing that number even further.

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Kentner Wyatt, LLC 435 Nichols Rd #200 Kansas City, MO 64112 (816) 527-0010 Kentner Wyatt, LLC