As you may know, it is against the law to operate a vehicle while using a mobile device. Cell phone usage, including but not limited to texting, is one of the most common types of distracted drivingacross the U.S. While glancing at an email or typing a quick text seems innocent enough, it only takes a fraction of a second to cause a serious auto accident that could potentially change your life and the lives of those around you forever.
Earlier this month, a teenager died from injuries after being involved in a hit-and-run crash in Buffalo, New York. The teen was reportedly walking in the dark with his girlfriend when a vehicle struck him and did not stop. Due to the absence of a sidewalk along the roadway where he was walking and a drainage ditch that did not allow for him to walk alongside the road, the victim was walking in the driving lane. The driver may have been able to prevent the crash had he not been texting on his phone at the time of the accident. He is being charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident without reporting, tampering with evidence, and failure to exercise due care for a pedestrian and texting while driving. He is due to appear before State Supreme Court and his trial is scheduled for February of 2016.
Certainly the at-fault driver did not intend to collide with a pedestrian while behind the wheel, but cell phone distractions lead to these types of incidents far too often. The next time you reach for your phone while driving, whether on a busy road or not, consider whether or not it’s worth seriously injuring another being. No call, text, email, or other correspondence is so important that it cannot wait until you’ve pulled over to safety. We urge Georgia drivers to make use of hands-free technologies and to place distracting devices well outside your reach before you get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. Keep yourselves and others safe this holiday season.
