Fatal Mistakes -- The High Cost of Distracted Driving

October 17, 2009

Accidents caused by distracted drivers have increased due to texting and cell phone use. However, a driver can be distracted by anything. The results are often severe, even deadly.

October 17, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Fatal Mistakes -- The High Cost of Distracted Driving

Article provided by Salvi & Maher
Visit us at http://www.salvi-law.com

You only have so much control over your safety on the road. You can account for your own actions -- follow the rules, wear a seatbelt, maintain a safe speed and stay alert. The problem is that, unless everyone on the road is equally as responsible, you are still in danger.

Unfortunately, when it comes to accidents, it often just takes one inattentive driver to create a tragedy.

Anita Zaffke was on her motorcycle, stopped at a light, when Lora L. Hunt plowed into her at full speed -- throwing her forward several hundred feet. The helmet wasn't enough to save her and Anita died an hour later, in pain, from severe chest and abdominal injuries.

When things like this happen, you hope that there's some good explanation -- that it was, indeed, simply a tragic accident. You hope that it wasn't just carelessness because, far too often, that's exactly what it was.

Lora Hunt was painting her nails. She didn't see Anita Zaffke until she hit her at 50 miles per hour. On September 16, Hunt was indicted on six counts and charged with reckless homicide.

The case received a lot of exposure in motorcycle circles, but the implications of this tragedy are much greater than motorbikes and nail paint. She could have hit anyone. It might have been a pedestrian, taking the dog for a walk. It could have been someone on a bicycle. It could have been another car.

Distracted driving is most often tied to texting and cell phone use, but you can be distracted by anything. While we hope that most drivers will refrain from activities such as nail painting, we can never be sure.

Still, cell phone use is a likely suspect in cases of driver distraction so it's a good place to start. In August, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed an amendment to the state vehicle code that made texting behind the wheel illegal. Illinois became the 17th state to enact a texting ban -- and the list of states with similar laws has been growing quickly.

The issue of distracted driving has become so large that even Washington has begun to take steps toward national regulation. Between September 30 and October 1, the capital hosted a Distracted Driving Summit. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood opened the conference with the statistic of nearly 6000 distracted driving-related deaths in 2008.

In addition to this, there were almost half a million injuries caused by preoccupied drivers.

Most seem to agree that regulations are necessary. However, the question then becomes one of enforcement and, beyond that, convincing distracted drivers that the penalty is not worth it.

Mandatory license suspensions and high fines for those involved in accidents have both been suggested, but it remains to be seen if and when such heavy penalties will become necessary. For now, distracted driving regulations are still in their infancy.

Article provided by Salvi & Maher
Visit us at http://www.salvi-law.com

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