The dangers of texting and driving are well-known. Texting significantly increases chances of a fatal collision, and yet it is a very common behavior. New York injury attorneys can provide help to victims who are hurt in texting accidents so these victims can pursue claims for compensation.
In many cases, the claims being made will actually be made against young drivers who made the choice to text and drive. As NBC explains, young people are the demographic group who is most likely to engage in this high-risk driving behavior.
Young Adults are More Likely to Text and Drive
NBC’s info on texting teens came from a study conducted by AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. AAA Foundation surveyed more than 2,500 Americans about their driving behaviors and found some troubling statistics.
According to AAA Foundation, a total of 88.4 percent of survey respondents between the ages of 19 and 24 indicated they had engaged in “dangerous behaviors like texting, speeding, and red-light running.” By comparison, 69.3 percent of drivers ages 16 to 18 admitted to these behaviors and 79.2 percent of people ages 25 to 39 said they did these dangerous activities while driving.
These results could suggest that it is not brand new drivers who are the biggest menace behind the wheel, but instead older teens and young adults. These older drivers may have grown comfortable enough behind the wheel to feel that taking these risks is OK… but it isn’t.
Many teens also wait until older ages to get a driver’s license now, which means they won’t be subject to the same graduated licensing restrictions as a younger person would when first starting to drive and they may be less likely to take full driver’s education courses which can emphasize the dangers of behaviors like distracted driving.
Phone use has become one of the major causes of motor vehicle accidents and texting drivers are a big part of the reason why almost 100 Americans die every day as a result of car accidents. Drinking and driving is also a persistent problem, with one in eight respondents to the AAA Survey admitting to having a drink before driving, despite the fact that everyone knows how high risk it is to drive while impaired by alcohol or drugs.
Car accident death rates are rising, with 7.2 percent more fatalities in 2015 than the year prior, so it is more important than ever for drivers of all ages- including older teens and young adults- to make smart and safe choices to protect their own life and the lives of others.
If you get into a collision with a young adult driver who is texting, you should contact New York injury attorneys right away. Young adults, like all drivers, have to be insured and it is the insurance company who will be paying for serious losses or fatalities that occur due to a car accident. Call an attorney at Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff for help dealing with the insurer to fight for the compensation you deserve if a texting accident left you seriously injured.