The state of Texas is holding a Distracted Driving Summit in an effort to provide drivers with safety information regarding to distracted driving practices and reduce the number of distracted drivers on the state’s roadways. The Summit is the result of a joint effort between private businesses, the Shriners Hospital for Children and the Texas Department of Transportation. It will feature a panel discussion between the survivors of motorists killed by distracted drivers. Ray LaHood, the transportation secretary, is scheduled to speak. Other experts in the auto safety field will discuss the results of scientific experiments regarding distracted driving, as well as the efforts legislators and carmakers are currently making to discourage distracted driving habits such as texting behind the wheel. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, more than 9 percent of fatal auto collisions are linked to driver distraction, a number that some experts estimate is lower than reality due to drivers involved in fatal collisions being hesitant to report they were texting and driving at the time of the accident. More than half of all drivers surveyed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said they believe their driving ability is not impaired when they talk on a handheld communication device.
As a car accident lawyer in San Francisco, I am hopeful that these and other efforts are successful in making the roads safer for all of us. If you or someone you love has been injured in a collision involving a distracted driver, please consider contacting a San Francisco personal injury attorney.
