Every time I turned my tv on today, I heard commercials for the evening news informing me that police want Bruce Jenner’s cell phone records, as if this is surprising or unusual. There is absolutely nothing surprising about the police requiring Jenner’s records. These days, it is common for police to request or subpoena such records after a car accident, especially a fatal one. Of course, there is no evidence at this point that Jenner was texting or talking on his phone while driving. His and the other drivers’ cell phone records will conclusively prove whether any texting was going on when the car accident occurred.
Distracted driving causes a huge number of car accidents. According to the CDC, more than 9 Americans are killed and over 1,153 injured each and every day due to distracted driving. The numbers of deaths due to distracted driving have increased along with the use of cell phones for calls and texting. In the US, 69% of people ages 18-64 talk on their phones while driving. The more worrisome statistics involves people who read or send text messages while driving, this number is a staggering 31%.
“Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 4.6 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field, blindfolded. It’s extraordinarily dangerous.” – DistractedDriving.Gov
While most people believe that texting while driving is a bad idea, many people still do it. These people assume they can manage for the few seconds they have their eyes off the road. The reality is that for every moment you take your eyes off the road, even at a slow speed, you are at risk for crashing into someone else or veering off the road. These accidents can be deadly.
If you find yourself unable to break the habit of texting while driving, or are concerned about your children texting when behind the wheel, consider one of the many apps and services available to shut down your ability to text while in a moving car. A quick search on your app store will show you the many options. Your own cell phone provider probably has a monthly service you can buy as well.
The car accident involving Bruce Jenner and the other drivers is a terrible tragedy. Hopefully no one was engaged in texting while driving. If they were, depending on their role in the crash, they could find themselves charged with a crime, up to and including vehicular homicide (or a similar crime in California.)
LOWENTHAL AND ABRAMS, P.C.
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