The scope of the problem has grown to such an extent that cell phone-related accidents now rival alcohol as the leading cause of automobile accidents. The magnitude of the problem is clear when one considers that driver distraction is a factor in 80% of all automobile accidents whereas alcohol is only a factor in 33% of traffic accidents. The caring attorneys and staff at Montlick and Associates, Attorneys at Law, have been assisting those injured or killed in auto accidents involving distracted drivers in the greater Atlanta area and throughout the State of Georgia for over 39 years.
While many states including Georgia have passed laws limiting or prohibiting cell phone use while driving, the law has not kept up with technology. The use of hands free devices that are required by many state laws do not appear to have significantly reduced the risk of cell phone use while driving. Additionally, many cell phone uses are not prohibited because the law has lagged behind the ever expanding applications of smart phones and has failed to address such uses as GPS navigation and web surfing. The bans on cell phones have also been largely ineffective because of enforcement issues. It is difficult to tell if a driver is dialing a number to talk on a hands free device, texting, checking GPS or using other smart phone functions. If it can be proven that someone was using a cell phone in violation of Georgia state law at the time of an auto accident, however, the violation can be the basis for imposing liability.
Georgia auto accidents caused by inattentive drivers have been a problem in the greater Atlanta area and throughout Georgia for some time, but the problem has increased significantly with the growing popularity of texting particularly amongst teen drivers who tend to be less experienced drivers. An auto accident is 23 times more likely to occur if a driver is texting while driving. A recent study indicated that a driver who is texting takes their eyes off the road 4.6 seconds. A car will travel about the length of a football field at 55 miles per hour in that period of time. It is also reported that 19% of drivers admit texting while driving.
While cell phones have many valuable uses while driving including summoning roadside assistance, checking directions and calling for assistance at the scene of an accident, their use while driving is not only illegal in Georgia but often leads to auto accidents resulting in catastrophic injuries or fatalities. At Montlick and Associates, Attorneys at Law, our Georgia auto accident lawyers have seen the tragic human toll that often results from inattentive driving. Cell phones now offer so many distractions that they are among the fastest-growing cause of auto accidents in the Atlanta metro area as well as throughout the State of Georgia. Montlick and Associates, Attorneys at Law, is dedicated to providing compassionate assistance to those who have suffered auto accident injuries throughout the State of Georgia.
As part of its commitment to the community, Montlick & Associates has been so concerned about the dangers of texting while driving that the firm created an extensive Don’t Text & Drive Campaign. As part of this program the firm produced two public service messages, and has paid to air them thousands and thousands of times on television stations throughout Georgia since September 2009. The messages are designed to educate the public and remind people how dangerous it is to text while driving. Here is one those messages:
Montlick & Associates’ Family Safety Advocate Jaquie Palisi presented a two-minute segment during the ABC news in Atlanta on the dangers of texting while driving:
