By: Pamela A. Lee, Esquire
According to the most recent statistics, in 2016, there were 34,439 fatal motor vehicle crashes across our nation, killing 37,461 people. Of those deaths, 3,450 involved distracted drivers; in other words, roughly 9% of all fatalities in motor vehicles crashes involved distracted drivers.
In Pennsylvania, there were over 16,050 crashes in 2016 in which distracted driving played a role in the crash, an increase of almost 2,000 over 2015. 69 of those were fatal crashes, an increase of 8 fatalities. That’s nearly 6,000 more crashes than those attributed to drunk drivers in the same year.
Distracted drivers continue to put our children, parents, family and friends in grave danger.
Although a Pennsylvania statute prohibits any driver from using a cell phone, smartphone, or tablet to send, read, or write a text-based communication while his/her vehicle is in motion, there are so many more ways a driver can become distracted.
Anything that takes a driver’s eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, or mind off of driving distracts the driver from paying attention to the important task at hand: driving safely. For example, the same Pennsylvania statute does not prohibit the equally risky conduct of putting data into a GPS, dialing a phone number or changing music on a mobile device.
That is why Pennsylvania tort law imposes a duty upon every driver to drive safely. A driver who fails to drive safely and causes a crash is responsible for other’s injuries caused by the crash. If you or a loved one was seriously injured in a crash which was caused by a distracted driver, an experienced attorney can help protect legal rights and fight for what’s right.
Our attorneys at the Law Firm of DiOrio & Sereni, LLP will ask the tough questions and get you the right answers. We will help you recover full and fair compensation for all your harms and losses caused by a distracted driver and any other legally responsible party, including lost income, unreimbursed medical expenses, physical pain, and emotional harm.
The Law Firm of DiOrio & Sereni, LLP is a full-service law firm in Media, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. We strive to help people, businesses and institutions throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania solve legal problems – and even prevent legal problems before they occur. To learn more about the full range of our specific practice areas, please visit www.dioriosereni.com or contact Pamela A. Lee, Esquire at 610-565-5700 or at [email protected]
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