Car Accidents and Distracted Driving in Virginia

Virginia Tech researchers have published a study concerning inexperienced drivers and cellphone use. The study looked at 42 newly licensed teenage drivers and 167 adults with driving experience. The results are disturbing, but they also help to explain why new drivers have a higher accident rate, a fact that I have experienced as the parent of several teenage drivers and also as a personal injury lawyer in Virginia who has represented injury victims. Using sophisticated equipment such as accelerometers,global positioning devices and other sensors, the study looked at how the driver reacted when reaching for objects, including cellphones, using the radio and other car equipment, and eating and drinking. The study found that the new teenage driver was three times more likely to crash while eating and four times more likely to crash while texting. Dialing a cellphone increased the risk of a crash or near crash by more than 700 percent. For the experienced drivers, only the behavior of dialing a cellphone significantly increased the risk of an accident. The ultimate conclusion of the study is that teenage drivers need to focus on driving with their eyes looking ahead and they need to avoid any distractions in the car. When I have a significant serious personal injury case, I am always concerned that the other driver was using a cellphone when the accident occurred. If possible, I obtain the cellphone records of the other driver. If you are in an auto accident and cellphone use is suspected as a cause, it is important to note the exact time of the accident if possible. If you have been in an accident and would like to discuss your options, please call me. Francis P. Hajek Wilson & Hajek, LLC, a personal injury law firm Experienced Injury and Accident Lawyers Serving Virginia, including Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Louisa, Madison, Nelson, Orange, Greene, Augusta, Buckingham, Staunton, Waynesboro, Culpepper, Richmond, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News