As a society, we can all now agree that drinking and driving is dangerous. But, texting and driving is equally as dangerous. To drive this point home, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that just five seconds of texting and driving is the same as driving a football field in Livonia, Michigan, blindfolded.
More dangerous than drinking
According to the NHTSA, distracted driving, like texting and driving, is now the leading cause of motor vehicle accidents in the United States. And, most of that distracted driving is attributed to texting and driving.
Texting and driving killed nearly 400 people in 2020 people alone, or more than a person a day died as a result of texting and driving. However, in 2020, tens of thousands of other Americans were injured, including seriously injured, as a result of texting while driving, even in Livonia, Michigan.
It is a known issue
Unfortunately, we cannot say that we do not know this is an issue either. According to a survey by AAA, nearly every driver they surveyed (96%) said they believed texting and driving was a serious threat. Yet, almost half of those same drivers admitted to doing it nonetheless. It is clear that we have an issue that is not going to stop by itself.
The takeaway
This is not just an issue in Livonia, Michigan, but a national issue across the United States. However, when it happens locally, it impacts us acutely because we feel it. But, when this negligence does happen, we do not have to take it without recourse. We can fight back against the other person’s negligence with a personal injury lawsuit. While it will not take away our pain and suffering or unbreak our car, it can get us our sense of justice back.