On its distraction.gov website, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which lists distracted driving as a serious danger on America’s roadways, shows that distracted driving accounted for more than 3,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands of injuries in 2011 alone.
Iowa’s Department of Transportation representative Michael Pawlovich said that more than a third of vehicle accidents and deaths in the state are caused by the use of a phone or other handheld devices while driving.
Even these statistics may understate the case. Law enforcement officials have long suspected that driver distraction plays a greater role in highway accidents and fatalities than can currently be determined. Sgt. Scott Bright of the Iowa State Patrol notes that determining exactly what a vehicular accident victim was doing prior to the accident does not always point to driver distraction even if that may have been a factor, as many things — from using their phones, eating, combing their hair, putting on makeup, or even using their laptop computers – could contribute to driver distraction in ways which are difficult for law enforcement to detect later on.
At LaMarca Law Group, P.C., we are dedicated to helping those who have been injured as a result of distracted drivers to get the compensation they need for their damages.