Arizona Accident Information Law Blog : Arizona Personal Injury Lawyer & Attorney : Solomon & Relihan Law Firm : Auto Accidents & Car Wrecks : AZ Accident Information Law Blog

The National Traffic and Safety Board in Washington D.C. have agreed to a recommendation to ban the use of cell phones while driving including hands-free and hand-held phone systems. This recommended ban comes just over a year after a fatal traffic accident in Missouri that took the life of a 19-year-old driver operating a pickup truck. Officials found that the driver had received 11 text messages in 11 minutes just before the crash had occurred. The accident occurred when the pickup truck slammed into a tractor-trailer and 2 school buses subsequently collided with the pickup truck.

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The Governors Highway Safety Association conducted a study that revealed that driver distraction due to smartphones accounts for roughly 15 to 25% of all traffic accidents. The GHSA is urging states to enforce laws pertaining to cell phone use for novice drivers as well as laws pertaining to texting while driving.

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A California father whose son was killed by a driver who didn't see him because she was texting is lobbying the Arizona Legislature to pass a texting while driving ban. Robert Okerblom's 19-year-old son Eric was hit and killed by a teen driver who was texting in 2009. Okerblom now runs the Eric Okerblom foundation, which advocates for tougher distracted driving laws around the country.

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In an Op-Ed column in last Sunday's New York Times, Oprah Winfrey warned about the dangers of texting while driving.  Oprah compared the rise of cell phone and texting-related deaths to the rise of drunk driving deaths in 1970s and explained her own policy of forbidding her employees of using cell phones for company business while driving.

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If you're wondering why the car ahead of you keeps drifting out of its lane, consider that this year one trillion text messages were sent by drivers. This shocking fact is revealed in a major study that also indicates the rate of teens texting while driving is on the rise.

This trend is disturbing considering the huge distraction texting poses. Reuters news service reports that texting makes drivers 23 times more likely to be in an accident. Teens texting will surely be at greater risk when their lack of driving experience is factored in. However, in a survey teens reported little concern about the dangers of texting while driving. This growing danger has lead for the call to create a national texting while driving ban.

Phoenix is one of a few cities that does have a ban on texting while driving. But, this does not necessarily mean Arizona roads are safer. In the survey, teens admitted to ignoring such laws. Police also state the laws are notoriously difficult to enforce.

Given that teens and young adults are so reliant on mobile technology and texting, signs point to continued texting even if a national ban is passed. If you are ever in an accident and suspect the driver was texting at the time, that fact may be critical in helping you hold the negligent driver accountable. Your best option is to contact an experienced accident attorney who can help bring that fact to light.
 

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Morning rush-hour can be inconvenient, but this Tuesday’s was much worse for a few Chandler motorists. Three cars were stopped at a red light on Dobson road, when a fourth slammed into the rear car, causing a series of collisions. The Arizona Republic reported, two motorists received significant injuries and were transported to a trauma center and local hospital.

In Arizona, drivers have the responsibility to follow at a safe distance and speed to avoid a rear-end collision. That the victims of this accident were stationary at the light indicates the driver that caused the collision was speeding, misjudged the stopping distance, or simply wasn’t paying attention. Either of these scenarios indicates a situation of driver negligence, the consequences of which injured two innocent people.
 

There are many potential distractions on the morning commute. Contributing factors include talking on the cell phone, checking email on a wireless device, or trying to save time and eat breakfast or apply makeup in the car. As tempting as these timesavers may be, a driver’s first responsibility remains the safe operation of his or her vehicle and avoiding collisions like the one Tuesday.
 

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There is some unusual new evidence showing the danger of driving while talking on a cell phone. It is common knowledge that a driver on their phone is distracted, but to what extent? Do they notice turn signals? Brake lights? …A clown on a unicycle?

Yes, a study in Western Washington University found that most students talking on a cell phone while walking were so distracted they did not notice a clown in bright purple and yellow clothes riding a unicycle nearby. In fact, a staggering 75 percent of students on their cell phones were completely oblivious to the clown and were surprised when surveyors pointed him out.
 

This creative example demonstrates why talking on a cell phone is particularly risky when driving. Two other scenarios—pairs of students talking and individuals listening to music—each saw better results than cell phone users. The author of the study commented, “a cell-phone conversation is just harder to maintain; it takes more effort; it's harder to understand the other person; it's harder to get the timing right. It's just a much more difficult task.”
 

This difficulty is what causes distractions and risks accidents. Arizona does not currently have a cell phone ban, but distracted driver laws are in effect in communities throughout the Phoenix area. And as this study colorfully illustrates, the distraction of cell phone use while driving put other drivers, pedestrians and even clowns at risk.
 

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