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Cellphone Use Causes Car Accidents

05.13.2011
Know NC Law by Mark Farbman

One of the concerns you may have when you call my office for a free consultation about your car wreck may be that the other driver was talking on the phone while driving. This is a serious concern, and there are rapidly developing laws governing the growth of hand-held devices in our society.

Cellphone use and texting behind the wheel can indeed lead to a car accident. A 2006 study (McCratt et al) of cell phone use (both hands-free and hand-held) while driving found a fourfold increase in the risk of both a purely property-damage crash and also an injury crash. Both types of car wrecks were found to be at a fourfold increased risk when associated with cellphone use. Furthermore, increased risk was similar for males and females, younger and older drivers, and hands-free and hand-held phones.

Since one of the contributing reasons for your personal injury in a car accident may be that a driver involved in the crash was distracted by a cellphone or text message, it is important to know the laws governing technology in cars.

Currently, nine states ban talking on a hand-held phone while driving. In California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregan, Utah, Washington, and the District of Columbia, it is a primary offense to be so distracted.

In North Carolina, certain drivers are banned from using a cellphone while driving. They are drivers younger than 18 and school bus drivers. It is illegal in North Carolina for all drivers to use a text messaging device while driving.

Know the law and drive safely.

Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute; Traffic Injury Prevention

Key Terms:
1. Personal Injury
2. Car Accidents
3. Cellphone use while driving
4. Texting while driving

Web Source: www.iihs.org/research/topics/pdf/HLDI_Cellphone_Bulletin_Dec09.pdf