When a car travels at 60 miles per hour, it covers 88 feet per second. Studies show that the average time a texting driver is distracted while responding to a text is five seconds. In those five short seconds, a driver traveling 60 mph will cover 440 feet.
And a driver who is completely distracted for five seconds while sending a text is oblivious to the roadway for the duration of those 440 feet. In terms of context, 440 feet is just short of one-and-a-half football fields.
Drivers that text and drive all feel that while it's crazy for others to text and drive, somehow it's okay when they do it.
I took the deposition of a distracted driver last week. She is a 29 year old professional woman who drives regularly as part of her job. She had a perfect driving record until one day in January when she took her eyes off the road to input an address into her phone to get directions. Unfortunately, when she looked up, it was too late for her to react to the red traffic light or the pedestrian walking into her path in the crosswalk.
Because of this brief lapse in judgment, this distracted driver is responsible for putting that man in a wheelchair. This particular distracted driver is as distressed and sorry as she can be, and yet she can't take back those 5 seconds she was effectively driving blindfolded.
CONCLUSION:
At Anderson Hemmat, we encourage Colorado drivers to put your phone down while driving. Distracted driving endangers yourself and other drivers on the road. If you have been injured by a texting driver, please call 303-782-9999 and speak with one of our personal injury attorneys today.
