Motorcycle Accident Lawyers Los Angeles; Los Angeles Police began to crack down on distracted drivers and will be out in the Los Angeles area in full force on Oct 16 to catch anyone texting, talking on the cell phone, putting on makeup, etc, etc.
I get a lot of phone calls from bikers who have been in motorcycle accidents due to distracted drivers. It happens all the time. I have personally cut down on my texting and talking, not just because it’s illegal, but because I see the damage it can cause to motorcyclists and pedestrians almost daily. I have just decided that text or that phone call is not that important. Think about it! Is the call your making or the text your sending more important than the life of someone else? Yes it is an extreme example but it happens every day. The people causing these accidents did not set out to hurt anyone but they do just that when they get distracted while driving.
In an article I wrote Sept 9th called Distractions A Danger To Illinois Motorcyclists about distracted drivers I touched on Illinois resident, Greg Zaffke Jr who is spreading the word about the dangers of distracted driving in memory of his mother, Anita Zaffke who was killed when a woman who was painting her nails hit her motorcycle from behind. Greg started painting his nails black on one hand after his mother died and he formed a non-profit organization called the Black Nail Brigade. The focus of this activist group is education and awareness of the harm distracted driving can cause.
The University of North Texas Health Science Center studied Fatality Accident Reporting System and texting data from the FCC and CTIA. They came to the conclusion that texting while driving is responsible for just over 16 000 lives in 6 years.
Car and Driver did a study on texting and driving and here is what they found:
- When unimpaired, it took drivers an average of .54 seconds to brake.
- When legally drunk, it took an additional four feet to brake.
- When reading an email, it required an additional 36 feet to bring the car to a stop.
- When sending a text, another 70 feet was required to brake.
Texting is a huge problem on our roads. Car and Driver and Chrysler teamed up and launched Txt U L8r to encourage no texting while driving. It is an app that allows you to hear your message and sends an automatic reply to the sender saying you will get back to them later. You can go to Chrysler’s Facebook page and take the ‘Don’t Text and Drive Pledge’ https://www.facebook.com/Chrysler
I urge our fellow motorcyclists to pledge to not Text and Drive and encourage your loved ones to do the same.
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