Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog
Teen drivers are entering the 100 Deadliest Days for car accidents in West Palm Beach and elsewhere. During this time of the year, students are on summer break from school and you may have noticed the increase in young drivers on our roadways because of it.
To help to increase roadway safety, AT&T and law enforcement officials will be working through the “It Can Wait” campaign. This campaign works to get teenage drivers to hang up the phone and put off the text messaging while they’re behind the wheel. The “It Can Wait” campaign was launched last year in Massachusetts and since then officials across the country have hopped on board with its life-saving message, according to FOX 29.
“Memorial Day is the beginning of the 100 deadliest days of the year for teen drivers, and dangerous behavior like texting and driving is a contributing factor,” said area president of AT&T, Patricia Jacobs.
Our West Palm Beach car accident attorneys understand that teens know that texting while driving is extremely dangerous and it significantly increases their risks for a potentially fatal accident.
Unfortunately, these young drivers continue to send and receive text messages behind the wheel. According to a recent study by AT&T, more than 95 percent of these young drivers understand the dangers, but still about three-quarters of them continue to do it.
It’s time to really raise awareness and get them to stop, but there’s a few hurdles we’ve got to overcome first! The problem is, according to the study, that teens feel a lot of pressure to respond to messages and continue to do so even when they’re behind the wheel. Another popular explanation for this habit is parental examples, meaning too many parents are texting behind the wheel and are setting a poor example for their learning drivers.
Text Message Stats:
-Texting is the number one mode of communication for teenagers.
-Teens text, on average, about 5 times more than adults.
-Drivers who text behind the wheel are about 23 times more likely to get into an accident.
With teens out on summer break, parents and guardians are asked to talk with them about the dangers of distracted driving and other dangerous habits behind the wheel. Cell phones and text messaging devices continue to be some of the top causes of teen motor vehicle accidents in the state. Still, there’s no state law stopping them from doing so and that’s why we’re calling on you. Work to make sure your teen understands the dangers and pledges to keep distractions out of the driver’s seat.
If you or your teen driver has been injured or killed in an accident in Fort Lauderdale or elsewhere in Broward County, contact the Broward personal injury attorneys at Freeman & Mallard to help you to understand your rights. Call today to schedule a free and confidential review of your case. Call us at 1-800-561-7777.
More Blog Entries:
Teen Car Accidents in Weston and Elsewhere Fighting Against GDL Program, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, May 30, 2012
Teen Driver Charged in Oakland Park Car Accident, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, May 15, 2012