Tyler, Texas Texting Auto Accident

Not long ago texting was a word that couldn’t be found in the dictionary but now it is part of our culture and a major cause of car wrecks, truck accidents and pedestrian injuries. Texting caught on with the younger generations and has spread steadily into the older age groups. Fifty-four percent of teens send texts daily with the majority of those teens sending more than 50 texts each day. Among the group of texting teens boys send an average of 30 texts and girls send an average of 80 texts daily. Older teens, between ages 14 and 17, have a higher usage rate with the oldest females often sending in excess of 100 texts per day.

According to a recent study 19 % of texters are between ages 18-24, 24% between 25-34, 22% between 35-54, and 19% between 45-54. The median age was 38. The opinion polls regarding the need to regulate texting and driving seem to vary depending on who is being regulated. Eighty percent of the population support a complete ban on texting while operating a motor vehicle yet 26% of all drivers admit that they have texted while driving. Drivers who text are 23 times more likely to have an accident and are six times more likely to cause an accident than a drunk driver. Alcohol impairs focus and reaction time while texting causes a complete distraction from the roadway for a period of time. Texting causes 28% of all car wrecks. Forty-eight percent of teens report that they have been a passenger in a car in which the driver was texting while driving.

Texting also creates issues for the older age brackets and the business world. Consider the situation of the salesman or manager who is driving a company car, using a company cell phone, and texting a business contact when he causes an auto accident. Not only is the employee individually liable for negligence but the employer is also vicariously liable for their employee’s actions. The population has become extremely intolerant of texting drivers and the suggestion that the employer may have encouraged the behavior would likely cause a jury to render a substantial punitive damages verdict. Prudent employers should issue strict prohibitions against any on-the-job use of a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle. This issue will be particularly problematic for trucking companies who regularly communicate with their drivers via texts.

Texting presents a different problem than talking on a cell phone. Some drivers are capable of multi-tasking and can talk and drive safely. The same cannot be said about texting. The average text requires the driver to take their eyes off of the roadway for between four and five seconds. No one can safely drive while looking down at a text.

Tyler, Texas, is located in Smith County in the heart of East Texas. Tyler has become both the commercial and banking center for all of East Texas and an educational center being the home of the University of Texas at Tyler and Tyler Junior College. The medical community includes East Texas Medical Center, Trinity Mother Frances Health System, and the University of Texas Health Center at Tyler. Tyler is the county seat of Smith County and its courts include three county courts at law with expanded jurisdiction, four state district courts, and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas – Tyler Division. Thus there are numerous courts in which a Tyler texting auto accident lawyer might file a serious personal injury case. Earl Drott has handled serious personal injury cases in all of the local courts.

Earl Drott Law is located in South Tyler. From the Smith County courthouse square in downtown Tyler proceed south on Broadway Avenue to the intersection with Front Street. Turn left on Front Street and proceed to the intersection with Beckham Avenue. Turn right on Beckham Avenue and proceed south until the intersection of South Beckham Avenue/Highway 110 and Golden Road. The Bank of America building will be on the right. Earl Drott Law is located on the fourth floor of the Bank of America building.

After more than thirty-seven years and thousands of personal injury cases there is virtually nothing that we haven't seen and successfully handled. There is no substitute for experience. If you want the assistance of an experienced Board Certified Personal Injury Attorney in the Tyler / Longview / East Texas area contact us today.