While Florida and other jurisdictions have continuing to take measures against texting and driving, it seems that, at least according to recent statistics, distractions behind the wheel continue to be a deadly problem on the roads. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, as of two years ago, just under 10 percent of all fatal accidents involved a distracted driver. In raw numbers, this means that over 3,150 people in 2017 died due to distracted driving.
Pedestrians and others who were not actually in a motor vehicle at the time of the accident were hit particularly hard by distracted drivers, with almost 600 non-occupants, like pedestrians or bicyclists, losing their lives because of distracted driving. Perhaps, not surprisingly, NHTSA’s study found that the youngest drivers, ages 15 to 19, were most likely to be involved in a fatal accident involving distracted driving.
While the familiarity that the so-called, “iGen” has with phones and other technology may be a contributing factor, it is important to remember that distracted driving encompasses a number of behaviors beyond texting and driving or cell phone use. Distracted driving can include activities like eating, messing with the radio or in-car technology and even talking to a passenger.
The reality is that any age group is prone to causing a fatal accident due to distracted driving. In fact, the percentage of distracted drivers over the age of 70 is slightly higher than drivers who are in their middle age. No matter what the cause, any distracted driving can cause a fatal auto-pedestrian accident or other type of deadly car accident. When this happens, victims in the Tampa area may be able to obtain compensation for their loss.
