On March 23, 2010, a crash involving three vehicles too place in the northbound lanes of Interstate 215 in Murrieta, California. Apparently the crash involved a Dodge pick up truck, a BMW and a Nissan Quest minivan and happened just after 2:00 p.m. It appears as though the driver of the pick up hit the BMW which then collided with the minivan causing it to careen off the freeway. The extent of the passengers’ injuries are not known. Witnesses say that one of the drivers was text messaging just before the crash. According to Riverside car accident attorney Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates, this accident illustrates the dangers of texting while driving.
Although texting while driving is illegal in California, drivers continue to engage in this dangerous behavior. It is true that texting while driving is more prevalent among teenagers, but adults are guilty of texting while driving as well. More than one-third of teenagers admit to texting while driving, but at least 20% of adults admit to texting while driving as well. The problem with texting while driving is that it creates a distraction for the driver. Statistics tell us that four out of every five accidents are caused, at least in part, by distracted driving, says Riverside car accident attorney Emery Ledger. Anything that takes our eyes off the road can be the cause of an accident. People that text while driving are almost 25% more likely to be involved in an accident. The reason for this is that whether you are reading a text or sending a text you are not watching the road. Although we live in a “multi-tasking” world, texting while driving is a poor example of multi-tasking. Studies tell us that drivers have an average of only two seconds to realize a potential road hazard and then react to the hazard in order to prevent a collision. Studies also tell us that reading and average text message takes four seconds and composing and sending one takes even longer. As you can see, those precious seconds spent testing can mean the difference between avoiding a collision or being involved in one. The bottom line is that texting while driving is one of the most dangerous and potentially deadly behaviors we can engage in while driving, according to Riverside car accident attorney Emery Ledger. Texting while driving is actually six times more likely to result in an accident than driving while intoxicated. A sobering statistic like that should put the dangers of texting while driving into perspective.
If you have been involved in a Riverside car accident and you believe that texting while driving was to blame for the accident, then you may have a good car accident case. Consult with an experienced car accident attorney to explore your legal options. If you would like to speak to Riverside car accident attorney Emery Ledger, call his office at Ledger & Associates at 1-800-300-0001 or visit his website at www.ledgerlaw.com
