The goal of the conference was not only to raise awareness of the problem of distracted driving, but also to come up with ways to improve the situation.
Improvements in this area, of course, are greatly needed, as evidenced by the fact that there were more than 95,000 traffic accidents in 2013 attributed to distracted-driving. For drivers, distraction can come from a number of sources, including eating and drinking, grooming, reading, and interacting with passengers, but the one on everybody’s mind is the use of mobile devices. In Texas, cell phone and texting use is already banned for bus drivers and novice drivers. In addition, use of handheld phones is banned for all drivers in school zones. While these laws do help in the battle against distracted driving, more needs to be done.
One suggestion at the conference is that businesses take steps to address the issue on their end. The costs of distracted driving for businesses are not negligible. In addition, the conference also raised awareness of efforts by the Texas Department of Transportation to address the problem.
It is hoped, of course, that these various efforts to address the problem improve the situation. In addition to raising awareness about the problem, it is also important for victims of distracted driving to understand their legal rights for recovery. By filing a personal injury lawsuit, victims are able to obtain the compensation they deserve.
Source: The Trucker, “TxDOT considers solution to distracted driving,” June 17, 2014.
In August 2021, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) reported that somebody died in a drunk driving accident every nine hours, but by March 2022, the figure had become one person in Texas dying every eight hours and 31 minutes in an alcohol-related traffic crash. The San Antonio Current reported in June 2022 that Texas […]
Despite the dangers associated with drunk and intoxicated driving, some individuals still choose to get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle while they are under the influence of alcohol. Doing so is a surefire way for them to cause a motor vehicle collision. Because alcohol is a depressant, it slows down the functioning of […]