Katy Distracted Driving Accident Attorney

In many countries all over the world, distracted driving is now among the leading causes of auto accidents, especially with the widespread use and popularity of cell phones. This had led to a surge in the for an excellent Katy distracted driving accident attorney. These days, many motorists routine drive while using their phones to talk, text, or use a mobile app. Anytime a driver is distracted, there is a considerable increase in the chances of their causing an accident since they are focused on their phone rather than the traffic signals and other vehicles out on the road.

Currently, there is a very high demand for texting accident attorney services in Katy against individuals who used their phones while they were driving and caused an accident. Texas, like a number of other states, has put measures into place that discourage using mobile phones while people are driving in order to help prevent accidents as well as accident-related injuries. If a driver has caused you to become injured or damaged your property due to texting while they were driving, contact our committed personal injury firm in Houston today at Gomel & Associates for advice and legal assistance.

How Can Gomel & Associates Attorneys Help You?

Almost 25% of all car wrecks are driving-while-texting-related accidents today. Therefore, the issue has turned into a modern epidemic. When a phone is used while driving it not only affects the concentration of a driver, it slows down the driver’s reaction time or speed by around 20 percent as well. One important thing to note is that a majority of distracted driving accidents have severe consequences associated with them and cause life-threatening injuries quite often. Driving while texting accident victims often have a difficult time dealing with the seriousness of their injuries, and can often result in long-term disabilities. They are also faced with financial hardships because of medical bills, continuous wages, and lost wages.

If either you or a family member has sustained injuries caused by the negligent actions of a driving and texting driver, contact our lawyers at Gomel & Associates for help today. When you do this early enough, it will provide you with enough time to develop an effective and compelling case to seek the compensation that you need and deserve. Our highly-skilled and professional lawyers in Katy have the experience and resources to investigate your accident and gather all of the necessary documents, which may include cellphone records as evidence for your case. Our lawyers will provide you with guidance on what options are available to you and the steps you need to take.

National Driving and Texting Statistics

It has been proven that in American one of the leading causes of auto accidents is driving while distracted. Although a driver can be distracted by many different things while driving. talking or texting on the phone when behind the wheel has proven to be a major problem. Distracted driving frequently results in severe injuries that could lead to death or cause permanent disabilities.

The NHTSA offers an accurate and easy-to-understand analogy of some of the serious dangers that are posed by texting while driving.

Reading a text, texting, or talking on a cell phone all involve visual, cognitive and manual distractions at the same time. Reading or send a text means the driver must take their eyes off of the road for around 4.5 seconds. When driving 55 mph while doing so, that is like driving blindfolded down the whole length of a football field.

Another thing that has been proven is that nearly 20 percent of car accidents that occur each year could be avoided if drivers did not use their phones while driving and paid closer attention to the road. That is quite a shocking statistic when you consider that in all the states in the U.S. it is illegal to use a cell phone to call or text while driving. Using a phone or texting while driving is an act of negligence if it causes a car accident.

Is Texting While Driving Bad?

Currently, thirty-four states have laws and regulations in place that discourage individuals from texting while driving. It is considered to be an infringement of the law in thirty-one of these states. It is such a serious situation that law officers in those states have the right to pull a driver over for using a phone while driving. Unfortunately, many people continue to do this. The NHTSA released a document in 2011 that showed that the number of drivers who use their phones or text while driving increased from .6% in 2009 up to .9% in 2010.

For example, in New York, it became a major offense to use a phone or text while driving in July 2011. Despite that, over 4,600 tickets had been issues by mid-September for this crime by the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Considering those statistics, how dangerous is texting while driving?

It is actually very dangerous. The NHTSA document shows that there is a 2,300 percent increase in the chances of getting into an accident while driving when text using your phone. It is also shown in the research, that around 6,000 people die and more than 500,000 are inured as the result of distracted driving.

Truck-related crashes are involved in most of these deaths. It is well-known that due to their size, truck-related accidents are more likely to cause fatalities. The report shows that distracted drivers have a 23:2 times higher chance of causing an accident while they are using their phone compared to drivers who are paying attention to the road since they can see hazards much more quickly.

Driving while distracted is so dangerous that technology developers are looking for ways to fight this menace. Text Zapper, a new phone app, is a great example of this.

This app disables a phone, which makes it impossible to send or receive a text message whenever a vehicle is in motion.

Trakker GPS technology is used by the app, which tracks a car’s position as well as how quickly it is going. For this type of app to work, it first needs to be downloaded by the driver.

Young Drivers Using Cellphones

According to some concerning statistics, most drivers who use their phones or text while driving are actually young drivers who are 16 to 25 years old. Pew Research Foundation conducted research that showed that many 16 to 17-year-old drivers admit that they text or talk on their phones while driving.

Drivers 16 to 25 years old, by normal standards, are considered to be inexperienced, so there are at a higher risk to cause an accident. When distraction is combined with inexperienced, the result can be disastrous. Research also indicates that teenage passengers of a texting driver are not likely to speak up about it.

Laws in Texas on Texting While Driving

Texas passed a law in 2017 to discourage texting while driving. Drivers in Texas are liable for negligence for their distracted driving. Whether or not a traffic citation or a criminal citation was issued to the driver at the scene of the accident, they will be found at fault either way if they were using their phone while they were driving.

Therefore, a driver may be taken to court to seek damages if they were in an accident caused by distracted driving. Call Gomel & Associates today to speak to one of our lawyers if you need assistance with your case.

Dangers Associated With Using a Phone While Driving

Although it is well-known that it is dangerous to text while driving, it is always good to remind people of the reasons why it is so dangerous and distracting. There are three main ways that texting is hazardous while driving a vehicle:

Manual

When you are driving and one of your hands is on your phone, it is much hard to steer in the event of an emergency. In general, it is not safe to drive with one hand on your knee or hone and the other on the wheel.

Visual

It is critical to focus on what is ahead and keep your eyes on the road. When you are constantly looking at your phone, it slows down your reaction time and makes it more difficult to focus.

Cognitive

There is a significant increase in your chances of being involved in an accident if you are focused on replying to or reading a text.

Rather than risking your and other people’s lives, it is more reasonable and safer to wait to send or read a text message after you arrive at your destination or pull over.

Unfortunately, every year, there are thousands of texting while driving-related auto accidents that occur. If you were involved in a car accident that was caused by a distracted driver, it can be extremely beneficial to have legal help from a Katy-based car accident attorney.

How To Prove That The Other Party Was Distracted While Driving

It can be quite difficult to obtain evidence to prove the other driver was distracted, particularly if there is not any video evidence that is available. Although eyewitnesses can be relied on to testify they saw a driver texting while they were driving, it often can be difficult to find anyone who witnessed this.

If there were no witnesses, what can you do? Fortunately, advances in technology now mean that eyewitnesses are not required. A Katy car accident lawyer can subpoena the other driver’s phone records and use the information to see if the person was using their phone when the accident took place.

When you have this type of evidence, it is easier for jurors to take the victim’s side, especially when you were not driving and texting. So if there is any evidence that shows the other driver was distracted while driving, you have a good chance of receiving compensation.

Call Our Car Accident Attorneys in Katy, Texas Today

If you were involved in a car accident that a distracted driver caused, call Gomel & Associates for assistance and peak to one of our car accident attorneys in Katy. Our attorneys are highly-skilled professionals with extensive experience in working on texting while driving cases.

Our extensive experience with these cases means we know what type of evidence is necessary to determine the amount of compensation to seek and to prove your case. For assistance with your case, call us at 877-721-3423 for your free-of-charge, no-obligation consultation.