If you read our auto accident lawyer website often, you know the dangers of texting while driving. We write about it all the time and I see people texting on my way to our personal injury lawyer office everyday without fail. The message just does not seem to get through to Californian drivers. Authorities pull over texters by the hundreds every month and people still do not seem to get it. The California Highway Patrol and law enforcement agencies in Stanislaus, Merced and Tuolumne Counties are beginning a ZERO TOLERANCE texting and driving crackdown starting midnight Tuesday night for a full 48 hours.
According to the news a CHP spokesman says too many motorists are still not following the rules against texting while driving and talking without using a hands-free device. Most if not all Californian drivers know of the fines associated with texting while driving but it just does not seem enough. This Zero Tollerance effort is a good step in the right direction but I think fines need to be raised significantly for people to stop this minor but very dangerous habit.
Studies reveal that a person who is texting while driving at the speed of 35 miles per hour will cover 25 feet before bringing the car to complete halt as compared to a distance of 4 feet which a drunk driver would cover at the same speed. What a comparison!? According to death statistics compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 5,870 people died in car crashes in 2008 alone because of texting while driving. That is a huge number of deaths for such a dumb crime. Please people do not text while you are driving!
