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Officials Cite Increase in Texting and Driving
Female Driver Making Phone Call After Traffic Accident

Female Driver Making Phone Call After Traffic Accident

Even though many states have enacted laws banning texting while driving, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that texting and driving has more than doubled over the last year. In fact, much to the surprise of insurance industry officials, the number of accident claims involving texting and driving went up in 75% of the states studied. One report concluded that there was a 50% in texting and driving from 2013 to 2014.

According to the NHTSA, sending or reading text messages while you are driving increases the likelihood of an accident 23-fold. Officials speculate that the increase in accidents subsequent to the enactment of texting bans may come from how drivers are texting, not how much they are texting. Researchers believe that many drivers, worried about being observed violating the law, are sending or receiving text messages with their phones out of view—probably in their laps. They theorize that drivers who have their phones in their laps are less attentive to the road, and more likely to be involved in a collision. According to a study by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, in 2014, more than 300,000 people reported injuries from motor vehicle accidents where at least one driver was texting while driving.

As expected, the incidence of texting and driving is far more prevalent with younger drivers. Of those under the age of 24, half indicated that they had sent or received text messages while driving. But there’s also a problem with older drivers—nearly one in five people over the age of 18 admitted to texting and driving.

Contact Sackstein Sackstein & Lee, LLP

At Sackstein Sackstein & Lee, LLP, we have more than 60 years of experience protecting the rights of personal injury victims. For a free initial consultation, contact our office online or call us toll free at 888-519-6400.

Motorcycle Injury Statistics Show Little Change in Injury Rates

A study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has confirmed what most authorities already know—it’s far more dangerous to travel on a motorcycle than in a car or truck. Researchers found that, per mile traveled, people riding on a bike were more than 26 times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident, even though nearly five times as many people were killed in car accidents than motorcycle crashes. Though the study concluded that wearing a helmet reduced the likelihood of death by nearly 40%, only 19 states and Washington, D.C. require operators and passengers on motorcycles to wear protective headgear.

Here are some of the relevant statistics concerning the risk of injury while on a motorcycle:

Nearly 60 percent of motorcycle accident injuries result from multi-vehicle accidents, a statistic that has been essentially unchanged since the 1980s
A significantly larger percentage of people involved in motorcycle crashes were operating the bike without a valid license
The average age of persons dying in motorcycle accidents has continually gone up in the last 40 years. In 1975, 80% of motorcycle fatalities involved people under the age of 30. In 2013, only 27% were that young.
The vast majority (91%) of people who die in motorcycle accidents are male
While smaller bikes (1000 cc or smaller) still account for 47% of all motorcycle fatalities, that percentage is down dramatically from its peak of 72% in 1986 and 1987.
August is the most dangerous month to ride a motorcycle, with 14% of all annual fatalities. February and December are the safest months, with less than 3% of deaths.
Approximately half of all fatalities happen on the weekend, with 6 pm until 9 pm as the most dangerous time.
About one-third of all motorcyclists who died in a crash were legally intoxicated at the time of the accident.

Contact Sackstein Sackstein & Lee, LLP

You can reach us by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week to discuss your Nassau County motorcycle accident injury claim. For a free initial consultation, contact us online or call us in Garden City at 516-248-2234 or in Flushing-Queens at 718-539-3100 (toll free at 888-519-3100).

We can arrange to meet with you in your home or at the hospital, if necessary. We have offices in Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx and Nassau counties.

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