Nearly 300 fatal crashes occurred in Texas during 2011 because drivers were not paying attention. In another 63 fatal accidents, a distraction in the vehicle was listed as the crash cause, and the use of a cell phone was listed as a cause in 40 more fatal Texas wrecks. These Texas Department of Transportation data on contributing factors to car crashes shows just how deadly driver inattention can be.

Distracted drivers should be made to pay damages to accident victims or to surviving family members of those who were killed in a distracted driving wreck. At the Law Office of Kevin Krist, our Houston car accident attorneys represent victims, advocating for those who have suffered serious injuries or irreparable loss for the simple reason that someone chose not to pay attention.

Contact The Law Office of Kevin Krist Today For Help With Your Distracted Driving Claim 

Houston distracted driving accident lawyer Kevin Krist has represented victims of distracted driving accidents throughout southeast Texas, in areas including Houston, Pasadena, Baytown, Katy and League City. Mr. Krist understands the nuances of distracted driving cases and is ready to put his legal knowledge and skills to work on your claim.

Simply call 713-284-1660, or use the firm’s online form, to contact the Law Office of Kevin Krist today for a free consultation about your case. You’ll hear back from Mr. Krist within 24 hours.

The Dangers of Distracted Driving in Texas 

In addition to the hundreds of fatal crashes that occurred as a result of distracted driving, there were many more wrecks attributed to driver inattention that caused injury. In fact, according to 2011 crash data from the Texas Department of Transportation:

  • A distraction in the vehicle was a contributing factor in 1,561 crashes resulting in serious injury in Texas.
  • A distraction in the vehicle was a cause of 2,119 non-serious injury crashes and 5,292 property damage-only accidents in Texas.
  • Driver inattention was a factor in 10,707 Texas crashes causing serious injury and another 16,777 crashes causing non-serious harm.
  • The use of a cell phone contributed to 595 serious injury crashes; 706 other injury crashes; and 1,832 non-injury accidents.

These numbers may seem high, but they are easily explained when you consider just how risky distracted driving is. In fact, according to Distraction.gov:

  • Of all of the wrecks in the U.S. in 2010, 18 percent of those that caused injury were reported as being related to distracted driving.
  • Over 196 billion text messages were sent in June 2011 alone. This is an almost 50 percent increase from the number sent during the same month in 2009.
  • 40 percent of teens responding to a Pew survey indicated that they had been in a car with a driver who was using a cell phone in an unsafe manner.
  • When a driver is using a handheld device, he or she is four times more likely to get into an injury crash than a driver who is not using one.
  • Those who are texting while driving increase their crash risk by 23 times as compared to other drivers who don’t text and drive.
  • When you send or read a text when driving, your eyes are off the road for around 4.6 seconds on average. During this time, if you were going 55 mph, you could drive a whole football field while looking at your text instead of traffic.
  • The amount of your brain activity devoted to driving goes down by 37 percent if you are using a cell phone. The use of a headset doesn’t make much of a difference and isn’t that much safer.

Section 545.425 of the Texas code places some limits on the use of wireless communication devices, including:

  • A ban on all wireless device use for drivers under age 18
  • A ban on school bus drivers’ using their cell phone while children are on the bus.
  • A ban on any drivers’ using their mobile devices in school zones.

There is currently no blanket ban throughout Texas that prohibits adults from talking on a cell phone or texting while driving. However, the lack of a ban on texting or talking on the phone while driving does mean that a distracted driver cannot be held liable for causing an accident in Texas. Distracted driving can still be considered a form of negligence in Texas.

Types of Distracted Driving

Cell phones aren’t the only distractions behind the wheel. In fact, according to Distraction.gov, there are a lot of different kinds of behaviors that are classified as distracted driving. These include:

  • Eating or drinking while driving
  • Talking to passengers in the car
  • Brushing your hair, shaving, putting on makeup or other forms of grooming
  • Reading a map or anything else in the car
  • Entering info into a GPS or focusing on the system instead of the road
  • Adjusting the controls in the car, like the radio or air conditioner.

A Houston car accident attorney at the Law Office of Kevin Krist can help you to get the evidence you need in your case to show that the other driver wasn’t paying attention and injured you as a result.

Contact Houston Distracted Driving Accident Attorney Kevin Krist Today

If you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic distracted driving accident in southeast Texas, contact Kevin Krist today at 713-284-1660, or use the firm’s online form, for a no-charge claim evaluation and consultation. Kevin Krist represents personal injury victims on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay no fees unless he recovers compensation on your claim.