Tampa Distracted Driving Lawyer
For 50 years, traffic deaths decreased every year. Then, in 2015, they went up, and they have been going up every year since. The most likely reason is an increase in distracted driving. Despite laws on the books in many states banning texting while driving or handheld use of a cell phone, these devices and their functionality have increased enormously in recent years and have become ever more integrated into our daily lives. Even new car technologies like in-vehicle infotainment sources, navigation controls and smart assist technologies, although meant to make driving easier or safer, actually do more to take our eyes off the road, our hands off the wheel, and our minds off the critical task of driving.
Distractions may have increased, but the duties of drivers to use reasonable care on the road have stayed the same. If you were injured in a Tampa car accident caused by a distracted driver, the experienced Tampa distracted driving lawyers at the Rinaldo Law Group can help you get the care and compensation you need to deal with your injuries and the disruption in your life another person’s negligence has caused you.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving is responsible for thousands of crashes and hundreds of fatalities every year. Another fact showing an increase in distracted driving is that both bicycle and pedestrian accidents are on the rise. When drivers are looking down at their phones or otherwise not watching the road, they tend to miss smaller objects in their field of vision, like bicyclists or pedestrians.
Some of the major distractions that take drivers’ attention off the road include:
- Texting while driving
- Talking on the phone, even hands-free
- Checking your email or social media
- Operating GPS or in-vehicle infotainment system
- Reading
- Eating
- Applying makeup
- Looking at a map
- Paying attention to something outside and off the road
- Conversing with a passenger in the car
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, distractions come in three forms:
Visual – You take your eyes off of the road
Manual – You take your hands off the wheel
Cognitive – You take your mind off the task of driving
Any one type of distraction is likely to lead to a crash, but many of the most common distracting activities described above, including texting while driving, involve all three types of distractions at once.
A distracted driver simply cannot safely monitor the road while distracted. A distracted driver has a narrow field of vision and also cannot attend to a sudden slowdown of traffic or react appropriately to unexpected moves of other drivers. An experienced car accident attorney from the Rinaldo Law Group can help you hold distracted drivers accountable when they cause a wreck. With the help of accident reconstruction, witness testimony, cell phone data use and other evidence, we build a strong case that proves the other driver’s distracted and negligent driving caused the crash that resulted in your injuries. With decades of litigation experience, we are prepared to prove your case at trial if necessary to get you the compensation you deserve after a serious Tampa car accident.
Experienced Tampa Car Accident Lawyers Helping Distracted Driving Accident Victims
If you have been injured in a Tampa car accident caused by a distracted driver, call the Rinaldo Law Group at 813-831-9999 for a free consultation with a dedicated and successful Tampa distracted driving lawyer.
