Kansas City Traffic Lawyers Suggest Don't Text and Drive

Before you decide to grab your phone while driving, check out this document. Kansas City traffic can be grueling, but using your mobile while driving could result in accidents, injuries and lawyers. Cell phones are considered to be the biggest distraction on the road. Statistics reveal that about 660,000 drivers in the US are using their cellular phones while driving. That's 660,000 distracted drivers on the roads everywhere.

Kansas City Guidelines for Driving While Using a Mobile Phone

Regulations concerning cell phones are always changing. Kansas City traffic lawyers have a unique challenge with regards to cell phone regulations because the city shares a state line between Kansas and Missouri, joining both states with roadways and a huge metropolitan area. While Kansas forbids texting while driving; Missouri does not have any laws available for using a cell phone when driving. That is certainly going to change soon, and not only for the state of Missouri. As mobile phone related accidents will continue to soar, lawmakers are changing cell phone ordinances nationwide.

Over half of US states have laws set up to combat the dangers of using a cellphone while driving. Using your cellular phone while driving in Kansas could lead to fines, tickets and attorney fees, even if you're stopped at a stops sign or traffic signals. Many individuals don't know there are such laws on the books in Kansas. It is prohibited for anyone to text and drive in Kansas, and it is prohibited for drivers under 21 to use a cell phone in any way while behind the wheel. Ignorance of the law is no excuse, so make sure to understand what your regional laws are.

What Are the Common Statistics of Driving and Using a Cellular Telephone?

There are some startling statistics on driving while using a cell phone. If you ask a Kansas City traffic lawyer about using a mobile while driving, they will have some disturbing experiences to tell. 1.6 million car crashes and more than 330,000 injuries every year have been reported by the National Safety Council as being related to using a cell phone while driving. An astonishing 1 in 4 car accidents in the United States are caused by texting and, surprisingly, driving and texting is in fact 6 times more likely to cause a wreck than driving intoxicated. Data like that should get people to reconsider picking up their cell phone while they're driving.

An intelligent person can look at the statistics and plainly see the risks of using a cell phone behind the wheel. Making the roads safer for everyone has been quite a challenge for Kansas City traffic attorneys and lawmakers alike. Whenever you do the math, you'll find that answering a text message actually distracts your attention away from the road for approximately five seconds, and at 55 mph, that's like driving the duration of a football field while blind-folded. Talking on your cellphone while driving is dangerous enough, but texting is definitely more dangerous. 94% of people interviewed support banning texting while behind the wheel, and 74% are in favor of banning cell phones behind the wheel completely. Research has shown that hands-free phone usage doesn't really alter the statistics much, either.

Teens Driving When Using a Cell Phone

Teenage drivers have sufficient distractions to handle, but adding a cellular phone to the mix can become lethal. Traffic lawyers in Kansas City and attorneys nationwide realize that 21% of serious car accidents involving teenage drivers were directly related to driving when using their cell phones. An incredible 11 teenage drivers die every day because they were texting and driving. It's due to statistics like this that laws are modifying nationwide. Replying to a text message or replying to FaceBook can hold off until the vehicle is in park.

Quite possibly the most preoccupied drivers on the road are the ones under 21. Ask any attorney in Kansas City and they'll inform you they've seen some real traffic disasters that involve young people who were texting while driving. What's really incredible is that teens actually know better. 94% of teenage drivers admit they understand the potential risks of texting, but 35% admit to doing it anyways. Statistically, texting and driving is more unsafe than drinking and driving.

stats 2012 Mobile Phones and Driving

The driving while using mobile figures from 2012 were surprisingly significant. Kansas City traffic lawyers are seeing a dramatic increase in accidents of all kinds involving cell phone usage. Distractions like answering phone calls or text messages account for 3,328 deaths that year. Many experts have reported that just about 50 % of drivers confess to answering their cell phones while driving and 58% of them people continued to drive while talking. Answering a phone call while you're driving can be be extremely distracting, but attempting to text while driving is substantially more risky.

Pedestrians on their cellular phones account for a rise in distraction related traumas, too. While it's not likely something you contemplate, Kansas City traffic lawyers have seen a remarkable boost in pedestrian injuries and fatalities linked to cell phone use. Research involving some of Seattle's busiest intersections were carried out in 2012. Results showed pedestrians that were texting were about two seconds slower crossing the intersection, and four times less likely to look both ways before crossing. While that might not appear to be a lot, it makes a significant difference when a pedestrian isn't being attentive as they cross a busy street.

2012 Driving and Cell Phone Data

The driving when using cell phone stats from 2012 were remarkably excessive. Traffic lawyers in Kansas City saw 2012 as a year with a extremely high number of distraction related crashes, many of which were directly related to texting and driving. That year on it's own saw 3,328 distraction-related deaths in auto accidents. Up to 50 % of all drivers on the road confess to answering their phones while driving and another 58% carry on and drive while on the phone. It can be very distracting to answer a cellular phone while driving, but it is statistically more hazardous to text while driving.

Pedestrians on their mobile phones account for a rise in distraction related accidental injuries, too. While it's most likely not something you take into account, Kansas City traffic lawyers have seen a dramatic increase in pedestrian injuries and fatalities connected with cell phone use. Washington University did a 2012 study on several of Seattle's most hectic intersections. Researchers found that pedestrians who texting are four times LESS likely to look before crossing the street and take generally two seconds longer to successfully get through the intersection. While that probably won't appear to be a lot, it makes a huge difference when a pedestrian isn't paying attention when they cross a busy street.

cellular phones are distracting under any circumstance. Texting or using your mobile phone while driving can result in very serious mishaps and could require the assistance of a Kansas City lawyer. Using your cellphone while trying to drive can end life as you know it in the blink of an eye. Lawmakers nationwide recognize an increasing problem with drivers distracted by cellular telephone use. The good thing is that educating people on the potential risks have decreased the number of fatalities in 2013 by 6.7%. This just proves that knowledge is key to enhancing the safety of our roadways.

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