Florida Texting Accident Lawyer

Anything that distracts a driver from the primary task of handing their vehicle is a danger. However, exchanging text messages by cell phone is among the most hazardous types of driver distraction. During the few seconds a driver somewhere along the Treasure Coast looks away to read or tap out and send a text message, their vehicle travels about 100 yards with no one’s eyes on the road.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says texting while driving “is the most alarming (driver) distraction.” In 2021, there were 3,522 people killed in distracted driving crashes. An additional 362,415 people sustained injuries in motor vehicle wrecks involving a distracted driver, the NHTSA says.

If you have been hurt or a family member has been killed in a texting accident, you could be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and other losses you have suffered.

Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney, helps texting accident victims across South Florida and the Treasure Coast, including Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Okeechobee, Fort Pierce, Jupiter, Palm Beach and Vero Beach. Contact us today through our toll-free number or online form to set up a free consultation. 

In addition to our legal work, we are working to create widespread awareness of the dangers of texting while driving and helping to make our roads safer through our Hang Up & Drive! Facebook campaign. 

Dangers of Texting While Driving

The latest statistical findings of the NHTSA show that in 2021, distracted driving accounted for 13 percent of all car crashes in the US. The agency puts texting while driving at the top of its list of driver distractions due to the fact that texting requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention.

“Texting while driving” is defined as writing, sending, receiving or reading a text message with a cell phone or other mobile electronic device while operating a motor vehicle.

Sending or receiving a text diverts a driver’s eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. At 55 mph, that is equivalent to driving the length of a football field blindfolded, the NHTSA says. A separate study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that texting while driving increases the risk of getting into a wreck by 23 times compared to driving while not distracted.

Younger drivers are most likely to engage in texting while driving and other forms of distracted driving. NHTSA data reveal that handheld cellphone use in 2021 was highest among drivers aged 16 to 24. About 3.7 percent of drivers in this age group were found to have held their cellphones at the wheel, while only 2.5 percent of drivers aged 25 to 69 did so.

Here in Florida, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) reports  that in 2021 alone, 2,731 people got incapacitating injuries and 344 people died in connection to distracted driving. In particular, electronic communication devices were the contributing cause of 125 incapacitating injuries and 20 fatalities.

Florida and Texting-While-Driving Laws

State legislatures try to curb the threats that texting while driving and other distracted driving behaviors pose to our highways. Forty-eight states, plus the District of Columbia, have banned text messaging for all drivers on the road. Thirty-eight states additionally prohibit young drivers from texting while driving. And 24 states plus DC banned all use of handheld cellphones while driving.

Florida’s texting-and-driving laws are not as strict as those in some states. In Florida, texting while driving is a secondary offense, meaning you can’t get cited just for doing this — you’ll only get a texting citation if you’ve been pulled over for a separate, more serious offense. Further, the Sunshine State does not specifically ban other handheld cellphone use, or mobile device use by young drivers.

Note that a motorist does not have to have a texting citation to be held liable for an accident they caused. If you’ve suffered from an auto collision involving a texting driver, you should consult an injury lawyer right away to know your legal options.

Contact a Florida Texting Accident Lawyer Today

The Florida texting accident attorneys of Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney, believe texting while driving is careless and reckless driving. We are dedicated to helping people in Florida who have suffered because of car accidents caused by texting while driving or other forms of distracted driving.

If you have been injured or lost a loved one because someone was texting while driving, you may have a right to compensation for your injuries and losses, regardless of whether the law specifically addresses texting while driving.

Since 1975, the car accident attorneys of Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney, have investigated the circumstances of thousands of auto accidents on behalf of clients throughout South Florida and have offices in Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach, Okeechobee, Palm Beach Gardens and West Palm Beach. If you’ve been hurt, Philip DeBerard is on your side.

Contact Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney today at our toll-free number or through our online contact form. You can put our Florida texting accident lawyers to work on your case right away.