Texting while driving makes a person 23 times more likely to crash. This is due to the amount of time spent looking away from the road, the minimum of which is 5 seconds, when texting. While this may not seem like a long time, when driving at 55 mph, a person will travel the length of a football field in 5 seconds, all while not looking at the road or cars around them. 

When texting drivers crash, they are often getting into accidents with other drivers, which, if you are not aware or prepared, could be you. If you do happen to get into an accident with a driver who is texting, hire a good car accident lawyer to protect your interests. They will help you understand your legal rights and guide you through the process of making a claim.  Not only will reporting and following through with a claim for the incident help you, but it could also help to protect future drivers and discourage other people from texting while driving.

Driving Defensively

Perhaps you have taken the pledge to never text while you drive or you have downloaded an app that blocks texting while driving. These are great measures to take to protect you, the people in your car, and other drivers. But what can you do to defend yourself against other drivers who may be texting? In driver's ed you probably learned about the importance of defensive driving. The same principle holds true in this situation.

  1. Assume They Don't See You – Drive cautiously, especially if you are in front of the texting driver because they are probably not paying attention to your car. If you have to turn, put your turn signal on well ahead of the turn and slow down with plenty of time to see if they slow down as well. If you don't think they see you, just keep driving. Then find a time when it's safe to pull over and turn around such as at a stop light.

  2. Keep Your Distance – Staying as far away as possible from a texting driver can limit the possibility of a car accident. Give them a wide berth and even choose an alternate route if you can to avoid a potentially harmful situation.

  3. Call 911 – This may seem like an extreme reaction, but in many states it is illegal to text and drive. Also, you may never know how many lives you are saving by calling 911 before an accident occurs. If you believe the driver is endangering other people, get their license plate number, and the make, model, and color of the vehicle and call it in to the police. But remember to pull over before you do!

Hopefully, as the word continues to spread about the dangers of texting while driving, the number of people who engage in this and any type of distracted driving will decline. Until then, make sure that you are not adding to the problem and that you are aware of other drivers on the road. When you see a driver texting, drive defensively to protect yourself and everyone else in the car and hopefully you will have no need to call a car accident lawyer.

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