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Request a Free Consultation Massachusetts Distracted Driving Car Accidents
Our Boston Lawyers Have Recovered Millions of Dollars in Compensation for Car Accident Victims
Distracted driving is a serious problem plaguing the roadways, causing thousands of injuries and deaths each year. Distracted driving is any activity that takes a driver's focus away from the road, including cell phone use, eating, drinking, reading and grooming. If you have been injured by a distracted driver, you should contact an experienced Boston car accident lawyer and learn your rights.For a free legal consultation, call our attorneys at 800-379-1244. You can also use our contact form.
Cell phone use by drivers causes more than 1.6 million car crashes across the country each year, according to the National Safety Council (NSC). Massachusetts has banned texting while driving since 2010. State lawmakers have considered legislation to ban handheld cell phones but allow hands-free technology. Legislation was approved by the state Senate in 2016 and again in 2017. But so far, no action from the state House of Representatives.
As Distracted Driving Rises, So Do Motor Vehicle Accidents
Distracted driving is a critical topic because automobile accidents are rising. The NSC estimates as many as 40,000 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2016 - a nine-year high. The period from 2014 to 2016 saw the greatest two-year increase in more than 50 years.
Another figure is 3,477. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports 3,477 people died from distracted driving in 2015. Another 391,000 people were injured. On any given day, an estimated 660,000 drivers are using electronic devices, according to the NHTSA.
A study from the University of Utah found talking on a cell phone while driving delays a driver's reaction time as much as having a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent, the legal limit for drunk driving in Massachusetts. Yet drivers continue to use cell phones and drive while distracted.
Distracted Driving Deaths in Massachusetts
Massachusetts banned texting while driving in 2010, but many drivers are violating the law. Police issued more than 18,000 tickets between October 2010 and April 2016, according to a Boston Globe analysis - and this is a law which has been criticized for being hard to enforce. From 2010 to 2013, at least 180 people died in distracted driving crashes in Massachusetts.
To encourage drivers to put down their cell phones and focus on the roads, the NSC observes April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month. This is also observed by the state of Massachusetts, where more than 100 police departments receive funding for extra traffic enforcement patrols.
What to Do If You Have Been Injured
Drivers who use cell phones or engage in other distracted driving behaviors and cause injury are operating with negligence. If you have been injured in a car or truck accident caused by distracted driving, you may be entitled to recover monetary damages for pain and suffering, medical expenses and lost wages. You will have to show you suffered an injury as a result of the car crash and that the person was texting while driving or operating negligently. A police citation for texting while driving can be used as evidence, though there are also other ways to demonstrate negligence. An experienced attorney can investigate and help you determine the best strategy.
Free Legal Consultation
If you have been injured, contact an experienced Massachusetts car accident lawyer to learn your rights. Do not delay; Massachusetts has a Statute of Limitations which restricts how long you can file a lawsuit.The car accident lawyers at Breakstone, White & Gluck have over 100 years combined experience successfully handling injury cases. Contact us at 800-379-1244 or 617-723-7676 or use our contact form.
Breakstone, White & Gluck represents clients who have been injured in car accidents across Massachusetts, including in Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Central Massachusetts and Worcester, Plymouth and Brockton and Cape Cod.
