Technology has come a long way from the old days of the rotary phone and the typical pay phone on many street corners in America.  Pay phones are not used as much as they used to because of the growing use of cell phones by Americans.

Pay phones, however, did not come with possible risks of getting into a car accident, which is a rising concern of many government transit officials.

Is the risk of a car accident really worth one text or one email that you receive?

As car accident lawyers, we completely agree with those same officials because distracted driving increases the possibility of an automobile accident.  Driving is already hard enough with the amount of caution a driver already has to be mindful for.  Take your mind off driving for one second to check a text or e-mail can cause a car accident leading to whiplash or other injuries like traumatic brain injuries or even wrongful death.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced a plan for a “distracted driving summit”, tentatively planned for September, to educate safety experts, academics, elected officials and police an opportunity to discuss legal and policy changes.

This news comes a week after several senators proposed holding back federal highway money from states that do not ban texting while driving.  Safety advocates said the meeting would not make a difference if it did not lead to policies that affect drivers’ behavior like seat belt and drunk driving laws have.

Those advocates say arguments about enforceability caused the discussion surrounding seat belt laws, which led to widespread behavioral changes.  The executive director for the Center of Auto Safety said seat belt use in the 70s and 80s was only 20 percent, but that number has risen to 80 to 90 percent in most states.

As car accident lawyers, we know new technology sprouts up almost every day.  More new gadgets are developed every day, and too often, drivers use this technology while they are in their cars.  We discourage texting and/or emailing while driving because of the risk involved.

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