Is texting while driving a problem in Nashville?

Posted in Car accidents on April 1, 2011

As a Nashville injury lawyer, I have met with a lot of Tennesseans injured in a car wreck. A car or motorcycle crash usually occurs when a driver doesn’t pay attention. It is careless to take your eyes of the road. In these cases, I develop a theme, the rule, that a driver has to keep his eyes on the road. If he does not, he is responsible for the harm.

A car wreck attorney should always ask the at-fault driver, “What were you doing when this collision occurred?” Why? Because he was probably texting or on the phone (accidents happen when you take your eyes off the road). I also send this written question:

If during the three minute period immediately before the impact with the Plaintiff’s vehicle you were engaged in any activity which required the use of one or both hands, such as smoking, using a cell-phone, adjusting equipment or touching some person or object, please identify and describe such conduct or activity in detail, including in your response:

a) A complete description of the activity;

b) The duration of the activity; and

c) How long in seconds before the occurrence such activity ended.

In a recent study by Pew Research, two-thirds of teen texters reported being more likely to use their cell phones for texting than to dial them up and talk over a cell phone.

Other findings from the report:

-Half of teens send 50 or more text messages a day, or 1,500 texts a month. One in three send more than 100 texts a day (or more than 3,000 texts a month).

-15% of teen texters send more than 200 texts a day, or more than 6,000 texts a month.

-22% of teen texters send and receive just one to 10 texts a day, or 30 to 300 texts a month.

-Half (52%) of cell-owning teens ages 16-17 say they have talked on a cell phone while driving. That translates into 43% of all American teens ages 16-17.

-48% of all teens ages 12-17 say they have been in a car when the driver was texting.

-40% say they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put themselves or others in danger.

Texting while driving is illegal in Tennessee. It is also irresponsible.