Traffic Deaths Decrease; Distracted Driving Remains a Danger

As an accident attorney, I congratulate our nation's drivers for bucking up and making responsible decisions regarding alcohol use.  I also applaud law enforcement for successful "Click it or Ticket" and "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest" campaigns. Way to go.

While automobile fatalities dropped to a 55-year low due to overall safer driving habits, distracted driving remains a major contributing crash factor. 

Despite all-time low motorist fatalities, distracted driving remains a contributing factor in 80 percent of all crashes and 60 percent of near-crashes. My advice as a personal injury lawyer - it's time to put the cell phone down.

The National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics show that texting while driving is equivalent to driving with a BAC of more than 0.08-and yet we continue to put ourselves, passengers, and fellow drivers at risk.

Remember distracted driving doesn't only include texting. It's also dangerous to eat, talk on the phone, listen to loud music-or any other activity that takes a driver's mind, eyes, or hands off the wheel and road.  

Clearly, we have a long way to go to make our roads safer. But already, 19 states and the District of Columbia have texting bans in place.

So, what is Florida doing to eliminate distracted driving? As of March 2010, Florida's legislature is considering a texting bill to prohibit texting while driving. Join me in supporting a texting ban!

Driving Distractions 101

Distraction.Gov - The Official Website for Distracted Driving

Nationwide Record Low Traffic Fatalities

Florida Considers Ban on Texting While Driving