Modesto Injury Lawyer Blog

Taking the Distraction-free Driving Pledge could make roadways safer in Modesto and reduce the risk of car accidents in Stockton. Of course, making the pledge requires that you make a valiant effort to eliminate all distractions inside your vehicle and talk to friends, family and anyone who will listen about doing the same.

Modesto injury lawyers know that distracted driving accidents are becoming all too familiar in the state of California and throughout the country. In fact, it is estimated that almost 8,000 car accidents occur daily because a driver took the liberty of getting distracted behind the wheel.

In a recent effort to curb texting and driving behaviors among teenagers, California Highway Patrol implemented a 2-day "Zero Tolerance" Campaign for high schools located from Modesto all the way to Grapevine. CBS 45 reported that teens in the area admittedly text and drive, even when told by parents that a stipulation to being permitted to drive alone is not to practice these types of unsafe behaviors. Highlighting their focus on teens, the California Highway Patrol hoped to scare them enough to stop the behavior, or risk a $20 fine for first offenses and $50 for every violation after that.

Rather than using a scare tactic, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is promoting Heads-Up Driving Week from October 2-8 for a third straight year. Concerned about safety for everyone, the Foundation is asking all motorists to eliminate attempts at multi-tasking or any kind of distraction while you drive.

It seems as though multi-tasking is becoming more prevalent for motorists because we are all short on time and guilty of feeling like we need to utilize every minute of the day. The time spent operating a vehicle seems like free time that can be spent on grooming, catching a quick bite to eat, returning phone calls or other distracting behaviors like texting. Recent studies have shown that drivers are distracted more than 50 percent of the time that they are operating a vehicle. Crash data is limited, but it is estimated that 16 percent of fatal crashes involve a distraction that caused the accident.

According to the recent 2011 Traffic Safety Culture Index, most drivers, 87 percent of those surveyed, support a law that would ban texting, emailing or surfing the internet while driving nationwide. Even more of the respondents, 94 percent, admit that the behavior is extremely dangerous when trying to operate a vehicle and is unacceptable.

Why then, are a third of those surveyed still practicing the unsafe behavior during the last 30 days? Attitude has a lot to do with it. Most motorists have the attitude that a tragic accident won't happen to them or responding to one text or a minute of surfing won't hurt anything. That couldn't be further from the truth.

Just ask the family members of the almost 5,500 people killed in distracted driving car accidents in 2009. The age group most at risk is the 20-year-olds and under but I think we are all slightly guilty of thinking a tragedy won't happen to us when we are behind the wheel. By eliminating distractions, we can stay focused and make roadways safer for everyone.