Teen Auto Accident Death Rates Drop 29% With Distracted Driving Laws
Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 by admin | Posted In: Uncategorized
A recent study by a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital found that distracted driving laws have a direct impact on the death rate of teens who are involved in auto accidents.
In all, 46 states have some sort of distracted driving law on the books. Forty of those states, including Connecticut, allow law enforcement officers to pull a driver over for the sole reason that they are driving while distracted. In the other 6 states, officers must have another reason for pulling a driver over and can then cite the driver for distracted driving if that is behavior that is also observed.
These types of laws, which have steadily been passed since 2007 have led to a precipitous drop in teen deaths due to auto accidents. In fact, in those states that allow officers to pull drivers over for the sole reason of distracted driving, teen deaths due to an auto accident have dropped a dramatic 29% in numbers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA.) In states where officers can only cite drivers for distracted driving if they have been pulled over for another reason, the number of teen deaths has still declined by 20%.
There are 34 states in the United States that have banned cell phone use by all new drivers. An additional 12 states have banned cell phone use for all drivers. Connecticut is among those states that has banned cellphone use while driving for all drivers regardless of age.
Cell phone technology, in the grand scheme of things, is relatively new, but study after study continues to indicate that cell phone use while driving leads to a greater risk of a Connecticut auto accident.
The safest thing you can do to avoid a distraction from your cell phone is to turn it off or put it away while you’re driving. If you have been injured in an accident that involved distracted driving, you may need an attorney to review your case. Contact our office and one of our attorneys will be available to discuss it with you further.
