Kansas City Traffic Lawyers Have Their Hands Full with Cell Phones

Before you decide to pick up your phone while driving a vehicle, read this document. Simply answering a FaceBook post while you're behind the wheel in Kansas City traffic could cause a serious accident. Using your cell phone while driving could make you a statistic. The truth is, an estimated 660,000 US drivers are fidgeting with their cell phones while attempting to drive at any given moment each day. That's 660,000 distracted drivers on the roads all over the place.

What Are the General Data of Driving and Using a Cellular Telephone?

A quick analysis of figures could change your mind about using your cell phone when driving. Making the roads safer for everybody has been a significant struggle for Kansas City traffic attorneys and lawmakers alike. A little truth that will completely take your breath away is that the average time it takes to respond to a text message is 5 seconds, which is like driving 55 mph, blindfolded, down the length of a football field. Of all cell phone related activity, texting is absolutely the most dangerous. 94% of people surveyed support banning texting while when driving, and 74% are in favor of banning cell phones when driving completely. Using hands-free cell phone solutions doesn't seem to alter those numbers, either.

Reports and information concerning driving while using a cell phone will almost certainly astonish you. If you ask a Kansas City traffic lawyer about using a cellular telephone while driving, they will have some upsetting accounts to tell. 1.6 million car crashes and more than 330,000 injuries each year have been reported by the National Safety Council to be directly related to using a cell phone while driving. An astonishing 1 in 4 auto accidents in the United States are caused by texting and, amazingly, driving and texting is actually 6 times more likely to cause a wreck than drunk driving. With statistics like this, people should hold off until the car is in park before they use their mobile.

Kansas Mobile Restrictions and Regulations

Regulations concerning cell phones are always changing. Lawmakers and traffic lawyers alike have a special situation when handling Kansas City because it's split down the middle between Kansas and Missouri. However, the Missouri side of the city doesn't regulate mobile phones usage while driving a motor vehicle. That is certainly going to change soon, and not just for the state of Missouri. As cell phone related accidents continue to soar, lawmakers are changing cell phone restrictions across the country.

Over half of US states have laws in place to combat the dangers of using a mobile phone while driving. In the state of Kansas, you could potentially face fines and attorney fees if you choose to use your cell phone while in the driver's seat. The majority don't know there are such laws on the books in Kansas. It is banned 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. Understand your regional laws concerning cellular phones, because they change regularly.

Traffic figures Involving Teenagers and Phones

When looking at distractions on the road, drivers under the age of 21 are definitely the most impacted. Ask any attorney in Kansas City and they'll tell you they have seen some real traffic disasters that involve young adults who were texting while driving. What's really stunning is that teens actually know better. A stunning 94% of teenage drivers said they knew what they were doing was serious and 35% admit to doing it in spite of understanding the pitfalls. Statistically, texting and driving is even more risky than drinking and driving.

Teens are often unfocused enough, but if you incorporate a cell phone, it could get dangerous. It's a sad fact known by every Kansas City traffic lawyer on either side of the state line that 21% of teenagers involved in deadly traffic accidents were distracted by their cell phones. Each day, 11 teenage drivers die because they were distracted while texting and driving. It's due to statistics like this that laws are evolving nationwide. Waiting until the car is in park is the very best time to answer a text message or respond to FaceBook.

2012 Driving and Mobile Phone Figures

The driving when using mobile research from 2012 were remarkably excessive. 2012 statistics had traffic lawyers in Kansas City reeling from the large numbers of distraction-related car accidents involving drivers on their cell phones. Distractions like answering cell phone calls or text messages are the reason for 3,328 deaths that year. It's shocking to know that nearly 50 % of all drivers on the road admit to answering their cell phone while driving and 58% of those drivers will continue to talk as they drive. Answering a phone call while you're driving can be very distracting, but attempting to text while driving is considerably more dangerous.

Pedestrian accidents are rising resulting from cell phones, also. Kansas City traffic lawyers and lawmakers nationwide have observed a surprising rise in accidents and fatalities involving pedestrians who were distracted by their cell phones. In 2012, a study was executed on a number of Seattle's busiest intersections. Researchers found that pedestrians who texting are four times LESS likely to look before crossing the road and take an average of two seconds longer to actually get through the intersection. We were all taught from a young age to look before we cross the street for safety, but a pedestrian with a cell phone is undoubtedly distracted.

research 2012 Mobile Devices and Driving

figures obtained from 2012 show very a high number of accidents were related to cell phone use. Traffic lawyers in Kansas City saw 2012 as a year with a extremely high number of distraction related accidents, many of which were related to texting and driving. Distractions like answering phone calls or text messages account for 3,328 deaths that year. Up to 50 % of all drivers on the road confess to answering their mobile phones while driving and another 58% carry on and drive while on the phone. Answering a phone call while you're driving can be very distracting, but trying to text while driving is significantly more unsafe.

Pedestrian accidents are on the rise on account of cell phones, also. While it's most likely not something you consider, Kansas City traffic lawyers have seen a dramatic boost in pedestrian traffic accidents and deaths linked to cell phone use. Washington University did a 2012 study on some of Seattle's busiest intersections. Final results indicated it took an average of two additional seconds to cross the street, and pedestrians were Four times less inclined to look before they crossed the road. We were all taught when young to check before we cross the road for safety, but a pedestrian on the cell phone is obviously distracted.

Whether you're checking FaceBook, texting your guy or answering a necessary call, it's all distracting your attention. You might end up being forced to hire a Kansas City traffic lawyer if you answer a text message while driving. With any luck, these alarming studies forces you to reconsider grabbing your phone while you're behind the wheel of a car. Lawmakers nationwide recognize a growing problem with drivers distracted by cellphone use. In 2013, the number of people slain in distraction related car crashes lowered by 6.7%. That said, education is extremely important to reducing that number even further.

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