As auto accident lawyers in the state of Virginia, we see first hand the damage and injuries that come along with texting while driving.  Distracted driving seems to be causing more and more auto accidents as the proliferation of smart phones grows, and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is looking to do something about it.  He is urging Congress to enact a national law against texting and driving.  "We have to be able to get people to understand that this is very, very dangerous behavior," Lahood says.  
The National Highway Traffic Safety Authority reported 3,092 distraction-affected crash deaths in 2010.  Making the decision not to text while you drive is an important one, and not something to be taken lightly or followed when convenient.  The road can be a dangerous place when it is covered with distracted drivers.  Please do your part to stay focused on the road, and help keep the highways safe for everyone.
If you or someone you know is injured by a distracted driver, don't hesitate to call the Virginia auto accident attorneys of Rutter Mills for a free, no obligation consultation.

To parents of teenagers it should come as no surprise that today's youth are doing a great deal of texting. As these teens get older and get their drivers license, this can become a huge and extremely dangerous problem if it is not addressed.
The FCC provides a few guidelines for dealing with teen drivers that can help parents communicate the gravity of distracted driving.
What You Can Do:
Give Clear Instructions - Give teen drivers simple, clear instructions not to use their phones wihile driving.  According to Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, the easiest way to say it is: "On the road, off the phone."  Before new drivers get their licenses, discuss the fact that taking their eyes off the road - even for a few seconds - could cost someone injury or death.
Lead by Example - Children learn from their paren't behavior.  No one should text and drive.  Be an example for your children and if you need to text or talk on the phone, pull over to a safe place.
The sooner we can express the seriousness of distracted driving to your teens, the safer the roadways will be for all of us.  

As auto accident injury lawyers, we see our fair share of serious accidents caused by distracted drivers. Both talking on a cell phone while driving and texting while driving can distract a driver, and result in serious accidents and injuries.  Last month in England, a case was reported where a driver was seen doing both - at the same time.   A man was seen talking on one cell phone, and texting on another - leaving no hands on the steering wheel while driving 70 MPH on the highway.  The man was banned from driving for a full year by the British court system.

While this is an extreme case of negligence behind the wheel, smaller cases occur thousands of times a day causing devastating accidents along the way.  Please be careful behind the wheel, and understand how serious of an issue distracted driving really is.  If you or someone you know is involved in an accident due to the negligence of a distracted driver, contact the auto accident lawyers of Rutter Mills today for a free consultation of your legal rights.

The number of teen drivers who have died in traffic accidents has dropped as Virginia lawmakers have tightened restrictions on teen drivers over the last few years.  Traffic fatalities among VA teen drivers fell 50 percent in 2009, and again by 43 percent in 2010.  In 2010, Virginia lost 35 teen drivers to traffic accidents, as opposed to 110 in 2008.  In the same period, traffic deaths fell only 10 percent statewide, indicating that strides to protect our youngest drivers from serious accidents have been paying serious dividends.  Virginia officials are attributing the decline to changes in state laws such as a ban on teen driver cell phone use, and requiring parents of teen drivers to attend mandatory meetings.  

We are thrilled to hear of this decrease in fatalities and injuries among our youngest drivers, but understand there is still plenty of room for improvement.  Distracted driving affects everyone on the roadways, and we see serious injuries routing from the negligence of distracted drivers almost every day.  Be safe on the roadways, stay alert and aware of your surroundings, and continue to educate your children of the importance of these principles.  Together we can make VA a safer place to drive for everyone.

A recent study from AAA found that traffic deaths involving teenagers were at their highest from May through August.  The association released an analysis that found that seven of the top 10 deadliest days of the year for teen drivers fall between Memorial Day and Labor Day.  "We know that in the summer, kids are out of school, so they drive more, and when they drive more, they crash more," said Justin McNaull, Director of State Relations for AAA.  The goal of the study is to encourage parents to put an additional emphasis on safety as the summer month's approach.   The high accident rate of teens also affects all other drivers sharing the road with the "school's out" teen drivers.  Whether you are the parent of a teen, or just another driver on the roadway's this summer - you should be informed of the increased risk, and stay aware and focused on your surroundings.   Remember, most traffic accidents can be avoided by remaining alert on the roadways.  

As Distracted Driving Awareness Month comes to a close, I wanted to leave our readers with a post about the dangers of distracted driving. Inattention on the roadways is a proven killer - the good news is that it can be avoided by staying focused on the roadways.  

80% of all crashes recently studied by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute involved driver inattention within 3 seconds of the crash.  Below are a few statistics about driver behaviors that increase risk of accident:

Texting - Increases Risk 23 Times
Reaching for a moving object -Increases Risk 9 Times

Driving Drowsy - Increases Risk 4 Times

Reading - Increases Risk 3.4 Times

Applying Makeup - Increases Risk 3 Times

Talking on Cell Phone - Increases Risk 4 Times 

In 2009, 756 people died on Virginia Roads.  There were more than 116,744 crashes resulting in 62,796 injuries during the same period.  Driver inattention was the leading factor in these crashes.  The very nature of an accident is that it is unexpected.  Be prepared and aware on the roadways and you can drastically reduce your risk of being in an auto accident.  

Distracted driving killed nearly 5,500 people last year and injured 500,000 more.  While these disturbing statistics alone should help people think twice about picking up a cell phone on the road, the stories behind the statistics are much more moving.  Distraction.gov, the official U.S. Government website for distracted driving has an ongoing video series called "Faces of Distracted Driving", that is quite moving.  Below are a few of the latest stories.  These stories may seem far off, but they are very real.  They, just like the rest of us, didn't think they were going to be involved in an auto accident.  Please think twice before using a cell phone on the road, and try to be as aware as possible of the drivers around you.

The US Department of Transportation releases it's 2010 crash statistics this week,  showing the lowest level of traffic fatalities since 1949.  The number of traffic fatalities dropped 3% from 33,808 in 2009 to 32,788 last year despite the fact that Americans drove over 20 billion miles more.  The number works out to 1.09 traffic accident deaths for every 100 million miles traveled.  This number is significantly lower than when the number of traffic deaths peaked at 54,589 in 1972 - which had 4.33 deaths for the same number of miles traveled.

Safety experts attribute the drop to public awareness campaigns, safer road design, and improved vehicle safety.  Improvements like rumble strips median barriers and pavement markings have helped create safer roads, while airbags and stability control have created safer automobiles.  Roy Luck, director of research at Northwestern University's Center for Public Safety adds that "The philosophy of safe driving is beginning to become more and more ingrained in society"

As lawyers in the Personal Injury field, we see the devastating effects of serious auto accidents almost every single day.  While statistics like this are very encouraging, there is still a long road ahead.  With distracted driving on the rise, we need to continue to work towards keeping our roadways safe for our drivers.

My philosophy on life has always been “get where you’re going but enjoy the ride.”  And if you’re like me, you feel spring in the air and you want to roll the windows down, find a south-bound road, and just drive.  Good music and my Mazda3 have always done wonders for my mood.  I think there is a part of the soul of the American driver that has always connected with the Sunday drive – not needing to be anywhere in particular except for THIS tree-lined road dappled by a mid-afternoon sun.  Maybe, in such a time, you share my reluctance with having to share the road with anyone else.  Maybe you’re guilty, like I sometimes am, of taking that turn just a little more quickly, or of rushing to find the left lane and the empty space ahead of you with a smile and the radio turned up.
After becoming part of the Rutter Mills family I was more than a little surprised to discover how quickly my defensive driving increased. My day revolves around the stories of perfectly responsible people injured because someone else failed to exercise reasonable care.  After a while you begin to see that failure everywhere.
But this story is not all doom and gloom – I choose to see it as a reaffirmation of a simpler motto.  Be practical!  It’s easier to avoid irresponsible people if you’re doing the speed limit.  Put your iPod on shuffle and don’t mess with it; you won’t take your eyes off the road and you’ll find yourself singing along to songs you forgot you owned.  Put down your phone and stop being so instantly accessible to everyone.  You’ll be a safer driver and you might just learn to enjoy some solitude.
You may be the safest driver on the road but remember this – Twitter now has 200 million subscribers averaging 1,600 posts every second.  With the smart phone industry wrecking havoc on our driving records, eyes on the road please!  Get where you’re going, but enjoy the ride.

Have you ever noticed that accidents often come in 2's? I can only imagine that the driver that caused accident 2 was not paying attention to the change in the flow of traffic after accident 1. I would surmise that the driver was either talking on the phone, playing with the radio dial or, the latest trend in driving, texting. How often do you see other drivers texting on the freeway? I’ve tried it once (okay – who hasn’t been tempted), and it is impossible! Virginia Beach and Norfolk!...You have to hang up the phone and drive to prevent accidents. This reminds me of a billboard I saw this weekend as I was driving on the Eastern Shore. It said, "Honk if you love Jesus. Text while driving if you want to meet him."