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One way states are preventing drivers from texting while driving is by passing new laws that ban the use of cell phones behind the wheel. These laws are usually punishable with simple a fine.
In Utah, the penalty for texting while driving is a lot more severe.
Car accident lawyers believe any new laws to prevent car accidents can only be beneficial to society as a whole. Cell phones are one of many things that can distract a driver. Drivers who take their eyes off the road for one second can cause an automobile accident that can lead to injuries like whiplash or spinal cord injuries, that will then require you to find a way to pay for your medical bills.
After a car accident caused the wrongful death of two people, Utah passed the toughest enforcest laws about texting behind the wheel which prevents car accidents. The new law that took effect in May penalizes a driver who texts just as harshly as a drunken driver who causes a fatality. Basically, a crash caused by a motorist who texts while driving is not considered an “accident”. Instead, a car accident caused by a texting motorist would be considered reckless and irresponsible.
“It’s a willful act,” said a Utah senator. “If you choose to drink and drive or if you choose to text and drive, you’re assuming the same risk.”
Car accident lawyers stress all the time how important it is for a driver to be focused on the road first. No matter how important a call or text may be, it can’t be any more important than preserving the life of other drivers. Studies have shown that talking on a cell phone while driving is just as risky as driving with a blood alcohol level of .08. The risk at least doubles when a person texts while driving.
Since it’s dangerous to drive while texting, Utah has taken aggressive steps to pass a law that should serve as a loud message that texting while driving is not safe.
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SENIOR PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY & FIRM FOUNDER
Michael Pines is a former insurance company attorney who graduated from the University of California Hastings College of the Law in 1987. While he was an insurance attorney, he learned from behind the scenes how insurance companies work and how they decide how much to pay injured people. Now that he works against insurance companies, Michael’s inside knowledge has resulted in significant benefits to his clients injured in car accidents. Learn more about Michael Pines