Tennessee cracks down on distracted driving

In April 2019, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office launched a new campaign, dubbed Operation Incognito, in an effort to reduce distracted driving on state highways, particularly in the Chattanooga area.

Cracking down on distracted driving

The campaign involves highway safety officers boarding a CARTA bus to observe passing drivers for signs of texting behind the wheel. If distracted drivers are spotted, the bus officers radio nearby patrol cars to pull over and issue citations to the distracted drivers. The Nashville car wreck lawyers at David Randolph Smith & Associates have the experience to handle your important case.  Call today. It is hoped that traveling under the anonymity of the city bus will afford officers greater opportunity to catch distracted drivers in the act, resulting in more citations and greater discouragement against texting and driving.

Texting and driving: a nationwide problem

Although a nationwide poll showed that 94% of drivers support bans on texting and driving, it continues to be a widespread issue, both in Tennessee and across the country. The risks posed by distracted driving are significant: in Tennessee, distracted drivers cause an average of 20,000 accidents per year, or roughly 55 every day.  Personal injury attorney Edgar Snyder has compiled the following statistics on his website:

• The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year.
• Nearly 390,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting while driving.
• 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving.
• Texting while driving is 6x more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk.
• Answering a text takes away your attention for about five seconds. Traveling at 55 mph, that’s enough time to travel the length of a football field.
• Texting while driving causes a 400 percent increase in time spent with eyes off the road.
• Of all cell phone related tasks, texting is by far the most dangerous activity.
• 94 percent of drivers support a ban on texting while driving.
• 74 percent of drivers support a ban on hand-held cell phone use.

Obviously, distracted driving is a major safety risk.  .

I’ve been injured in a car accident by a distracted driver, what should I do?

Our Nashville personal injury attorneys have handled several cases where distracted driving cause a car accident in Tennessee. No matter how safe your personal driving habits are, it is virtually impossible to protect yourself completely from the risks posed by distracted drivers. When the unexpected happens, however, it is vital that no time is lost in preparing your claim to assert your rights against a negligent or reckless distracted driver. The personal injury attorneys at David Randolph Smith are experts at handling Tennessee distracted driver cases and texting-and-driving accidents, and we stand ready to bring our experience and skill to your claim. Call (615) 742 – 1775 for a free consultation today.