Pennsylvania:The Distracted Driver,a Major Cause of Car Accidents And Rollovers
Lawyers at the Pennsylvania motor vehicle accident Law Firm of Reiff and Bily are currently involved in a case where the distracted driver of a vehicle was texting his girlfriend a message, while his close friend and passenger innocently sat in the back seat of the vehicle.The vehicle 's driver lost control causing the SUV to rollover and eject all of the occupants resulting in permanent and catastrophic injuries that could have easily been prevented.
As I drive down the highways, I am consistently amazed at how many people are driving while having a conversation on a cell phone. Additionally, you can be sure that many of these drivers have MP3 Players and other electronics also serving as a distraction. Anybody can recognize that a person with a cell phone or PDA in one hand and driving with only one hand will not have his vehicle in complete control if an emergency situation arises.
In fact, one of the first things we do at the Pennsylvania Law Firm of Reiff and Bily is investigate whether or not the driver of any vehicle involved in an accident was operated by a driver who was distracted by a cell phone, blackberry, radio or any other electronic device that can be tied to liability.
As the father of a teenage driver, I have had the opportunity to become involved first-hand with many cases where a young teenage driver was text messaging his or her girlfriend or boyfriend, and have taken their eyes off the road for a few seconds or loss concentration, resulting in a catastrophic auto accident or SUV rolloverwhich could have easily been prevented.
We all understand the undeniable appeal of electronic devices to the youthful driver or over competitive businessman or professional combined with that driver's sense of invulnerability. In one of the cases that the Law Firm of Reiff and Bily is currently handling, the driver of the car was text messaging his girlfriend, lost control of his vehicle causing the vehicle to roll over and all of the occupants to be violently ejected onto the roadway causing catastrophic injuries, including the loss of an arm of one of the driver's closest friends. The driver of the vehicle attempted to cover up the facts of the accident and left the occupants of the vehicle sitting on the road while he tried to figure out what to do rather than taking the appropriate steps to administer immediate medical attention. Of course, this was a young man who was more interested in preserving an inaccurate story for his parents and authorities than helping his friend.
The experienced lawyers of the Pennsylvania motor vehicle accident law firm of Reiff and Bily recognizes the difficulty in a proper investigation in detecting the role of electronic devices in motor vehicle accidents. Our experienced investigators look for and photograph tell tale clues of possible distractions, including but not limited to, presence of charger chords, MP3 headphones, mounting brackets for MP3 players, cell phones or GPS devices and built-in devices such as satellite navigation and radios. We photograph the dashboards of our vehicles and interview witnesses who may have seen a driver using a cell phone or other devices which could easily cause distraction. Many jurisdictions recognize that a cell phone is illegal to use while operating a motor vehicle. Although many police investigations typically look for cell phone use, they do not look at the usage of Blackberries or other devices that electronically transmit data.
It is important to examine a complete cell phone bill which would disclose whether or not a vehicle driver was making a call at the time of the accident. At the law firm of Reiff and Bily, we obtain billing records in our discovery process and often times will send preservation letters to potential defendants and other passengers in the car to make sure this important information is retained. We also ask for employment records which may reveal which device was being used. The experienced lawyers of Reiff and Bily use smart discovery tactics to obtain much of this evidence. The experienced trial lawyers of Reiff and Bily have determined that many State and Municipal laws regarding the use of high tech devices while driving have lagged behind the advancing array of potential driving distractions and catastrophic injuries resulting from their usage.
I personally feel that although it may be convenient to speak on a cell phone via speaker phone while driving, common sense dictates that people should not drive while distracted. Many people are just not that good at multi-tasking. This is why many of the wireless carriers have campaigns regarding the sensibility of talking on the phone while driving.
Wireless companies note that when behind the wheel, safe and responsible driving is always the first priority. They also note that you should not manually dial or look up telephone numbers while driving, but to pre-program important numbers or frequently called numbers and use the voice activated and speed dial features on the phone. Do not take notes, send e-mail or send/ receive text messages and/or pictures while driving. Using the wireless phone while driving may increase your risk of distraction whether or not you use a hands-free device. To eliminate this risk, you should always consider turning your phone off and allowing calls go to your voice mail. Wireless companies further note the risk of using a wireless phone while driving may be increasingly hazardous in traffic and weather conditions. While driving in these conditions, consider turning your phone off and allowing calls to go to voice mail. If you choose to talk and drive, always use a hands-free device. Make sure your hands-free device is on and working before driving. Do not engage in complex, emotional or stressful calls when driving. For curiosity's sake, you may want to look at your provider's web site and look at the standard of care that they advise.
If you or a loved one was injured as a result of somebody not paying complete attention to the rules of the road, you may want to schedule a free consultation with the Pennsylvania motor vehicle accident lawyers at the Law Firm of Reiff and Bily.
