Cell phones have caused several types of injuries, including injuries such as distracted driving or walking. Surviving family members and loved ones have a legal right to sue and recover compensation for their damages when cell phones cause a fatality accident.

In the past several years, cell phones are among the leading factors in car wrecks caused by distracted driving, especially for teenage drivers. There are roughly 155,000 car accidents every year in Alabama. And most of these are simple distracted driving mistakes that are completely preventable.

You don’t have to follow the local news every night to know that distracted driving is a problem, but here are a few statistics that might help you understand just how serious it is in Alabama:

• Alabama has the 2nd highest rate of fatal car accidents in the United States.
• In 2017, distracted driving was the cause of at least 40 fatalities in this state.
• A 2018 study by the Journal of Adolescent Health found that 43% of teen drivers in Alabama text while driving.
  

Experts consider using a cell phone while driving as dangerous as drunk driving. In fact, texting while driving delays human reaction time on par with having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of 0.08 percent, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A Department of Transportation report found that texting makes drivers’ risk of accidents 23 times worse than normal.

To combat this, severe laws have been created in Alabama and throughout many states in the country, to stop cell phone use while driving. Sadly, cell phone use while behind the wheel is not the only method these devices lead to killing people.

Alabama Residents Losing Lives Trying to Save Their Phones

For instance, there are instances where Alabama drivers have lost their lives trying to retrieve their cell phones that have fallen and/or become lost in the middle of driving. While looking down and feeling under their seats/floorboards for their cell phones, fatal wrecks tend to happen.

Furthermore, there are several fatal train accidents on record caused by distracted cellphone owners, especially teenage drivers. These instances occur when drivers are distracted on the phone or looking for their phone and neglect to pay attention to the oncoming train signals/horns. As a result, this distraction causes drivers to miss clearing the tracks in time,  leading to fatal endings.

Pedestrian Deaths Caused by Cell Phone Use

Though there are laws against driving and using a handheld cell phone, there are no laws against walking and using a cell phone. There are several cases around the world of pedestrians paying more attention to their cell phones than their surroundings and losing their lives in the process.

The Leading Danger Remaining Is Texting and Driving

Regardless of warnings and strict laws throughout the United States, people still text and drive. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving accidents took 3,166 people in 2017. Texting while driving is still the leading cause of distracted driving.

Feel free to contact the Bryant Law Firm at (205) 267-8561 for a free consultation. We are happy to assist and guide you through your personal injury case. We understand the legal nuances and emotional turbulence surrounding fatality accidents. Let us earn your trust!

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