Texting & Driving: Orlando’s #1 Cause of Car Accidents

Did you know that texting and driving is Orlando’s #1 cause of car accidents? There are so many distractions in your vehicle, but texting on your cellphone is the most deadly. Texting while driving takes your eyes off the road for about five seconds, which is enough time to drive the length of a football field at 55 miles per hour!

This blog post will review Florida’s laws on texting and driving as well as offer some tips on how to avoid this dangerous practice.

Statistics to Keep in Mind

Texting & driving is considered distracted driving. Here are some statistics that will be helpful in making you more aware of your actions while driving a motor vehicle. 

1 of every 4 car accidents involves texting while driving and 4,637 of those accidents resulted in a fatality in the state of Florida last year.

Distracted drivers are 8 to 23 times more likely to cause a crash than sober ones and using hands-free devices does not eliminate the cognitive distractions that come with driving while talking or texting on your phone. 

Drivers who text while driving have their eyes, mind, and hands away from the road which draws attention away from real dangers around them leaving them vulnerable to potential accidents – even fatal ones!

Distracted driving is as dangerous (if not worse) than intoxicated/impaired driving.

Florida’s Laws on Texting & Driving

In the past few years, the state of Florida has rewritten some laws to help crack down on texting and driving – if you are interested in these specific changes you can check out another one of our blog posts: WHAT IS FLORIDA DOING TO REDUCE DISTRACTED DRIVING ACCIDENTS?

Tips on How to Avoid Texting & Driving

Nowadays, it seems like we are all attached to our cell phones. Being dependent on your cellphone while you are driving can put you into a situation that will make you soon regret being on your phone. For this reason, we have listed out some tips for you to consider when driving, to ensure you and everyone else around you are safe. 

Before you get in the car, think about what information you might need during your trip.

1. For example, program your GPS at the start of a journey rather than fiddling with it while driving.
2. Also, make that call to ask mom something important before setting off on an adventure and send a text message to tell someone vital news instead of doing so when behind the wheel or at risk of distracting yourself from road safety.
3. Texting while driving can put your life at risk, but it’s important to be safe when you are behind the wheel. Select a friend to text for you if need be in order to stay focused on the road ahead of you.
4. Stow your phone somewhere you can’t peek at it. A glove compartment is a good option, but if that won’t work lock the purse in the backseat of your car instead.
5. Silence notifications that tempt you to check your phone so you can prevent distractions.
6. Look into apps designed to help block incoming messages while driving These apps can be free, and they allow you to automatically respond that you’re busy when receiving texts or calls from friends so that your attention remains focused on the road ahead of you.
7. Ask yourself if it is worth risking your safety in order to read a text while driving. Be patient and wait until you’ve reached your destination before reading the message on your phone.
8. If you HAVE to –  pull over somewhere safe to text. Don’t try to send messages when driving on the highway because it’s never worth the risk of swerving into an accident or getting hit by cars whizzing past at high speeds. If there are good places for pulling off safely along your route, use them whenever possible so that you can message while not interfering with traffic flow and avoiding dangerous situations altogether!

Are You a Car Accident Victim in Central Florida? Call Frank Eidson Today!

Have you or someone you know recently gotten into a car accident due to the other driver being on the phone? If you’ve been injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault, the last thing on your mind is finding a good attorney. You just want to get better as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, many people don’t realize how important it is to hire an experienced attorney until they’ve already lost their case by going with some cheap legal firm or doing nothing at all.

Don’t let this happen to you – contact me today – I am here to help.