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Texting & Driving Accidents in San Diego, California
Have you been seriously injured in a car accident where the other driver is texting and not paying attention to the road? Are you frustrated that you are the one who is out of work because of their reckless decision? Are you wondering if there is anything you can do to hold the other driver accountable? If these questions sound familiar, you need a committed San Diego texting and driving accident attorney who can help you effectively prepare a case against the negligent driver. You need a lawyer who is more interested in helping you overcome the challenges you face than making a name for themselves. You need a professional law firm that will take your case as seriously as you do—from beginning to end.
We Are The Levinson Law Group, A Respected San Diego Car Accident Law Firm
We have extensive experience working with clients who were injured in motor vehicle collisions caused by texting and driving.
Unlike many other law firms in the area, we only handle car accident claims, which gives us unparalleled knowledge and experience of what goes into these cases. To learn more about your options, give The Levinson Law Group a call. We accept cases on a contingent fee. That means that if there is no recovery in your case, you pay no fee. And in most cases, we even advance the costs.
San Diego Car Accident Statistics
According to the most recently available data from the California Highway Patrol, in 2017:
- 227,160 people were injured in 193,564 non-fatal California car accidents.
- 3,904 people were killed in 3,582 fatal California car accidents
This is an increase from the previous year, in which there were 3,854 people were killed in 3,552 fatal California car accidents, and 280,020 people were injured in 195,347 non-fatal California car accidents.
Cell phone use, including talking and texting while driving, are the leading causes of distracted driving accidents in California.
In California, the number of injuries and deaths due to talking and texting while driving nearly doubled between 2013 and 2017.
Drivers who text while behind the wheel are six times more likely to get into a car accident.
It takes about five seconds to send the average text. If a driver sends a text while traveling at 55 miles per hour, they will have traveled about the length of a football field while their eyes are not looking at the road.
Who is At Risk in a Texting and Driving Accident?
According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, more than 3,140 people were killed in the United States in 2019 from distracted driving.
Across the country, 11 teens die each day due to texting while driving.
A teenager driver who is distracted by sending or receiving a text has approximately the same reaction time as a 70-year-old driver.
Across the country, 440,000 people are injured in distracted driving accidents each year.
Distracted driving is a leading cause of car accidents across the country. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, distracted driving is responsible for:
- 14% of all traffic accidents
- 15% of all crashes resulting in an injury
- 8% of all fatal car accidents
Drivers between the ages of 15 and 19 are the most likely to be involved in a distracted driving accident. While this age group comprises just six percent of the total number of drivers on the road, they are responsible for 11 percent of the fatal accidents involving cell phone use.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2019, 39 percent of all high school students who drove within the last 30 days admitted to emailing or texting while driving.
Teen drivers who text while drive, are also more likely to drink and drive and exhibit other dangerous driving behavior.
Texting While Driving Puts San Diego Drivers at Great Risk
Driving a car is a serious responsibility and one that requires a motorist’s full attention. Of course, anyone who spends significant time behind the wheel knows that it can be challenging to stay focused, especially when sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic or on long stretches of open road. However, most motorists understand the potential consequences of not paying attention and taking every step possible to keep their eyes on the road and to stay focused.
However, given the prevalence of cell phones, and the growing need for people to stay “connected” throughout every moment of the day, more drivers are using their phones while behind the wheel. While sending a reading a quick text may not seem like a major distraction, it is. When a driver sends a text, their attention is diverted from the road for about five seconds. And it only takes a split-second to cause an accident.
Teens are, by far, the most likely to text while driving. In fact, according to a recent survey, despite 94 percent of all high school students who regularly drive, over a third admit to texting and driving, at least occasionally. Not surprisingly, more than 20 percent of all fatal accidents involving teenage drivers occur because the teen was using their phone while driving.
Common Texting and Driving Accidents in San Diego, CA
Texting while driving increases the chance of getting into an accident. A driver’s chances of getting into an accident increase by 23 times if they are texting. That said, there are certain types of accidents that are more common when drivers text and drive. For example, texting is not a major contributing factor in left-turn accidents because even a negligent motorist knows they need to pay attention when turning left. Most texting and driving accidents occur when the texting driver is traveling straight. Thus, the most common types of Sand Diego texting and driving accidents include:
Rear-end Collisions
Drivers who pay attention to their phone—and not the road ahead of them—may not be aware of slowing or stopping traffic up ahead. It is common for texting drivers to rear-end motorists who are stopped in traffic or waiting at a red light.
T-Bone Accidents
Most yellow lights last for less than five seconds, the same amount of time it takes to send or read the average text message. Thus, when drivers divert their eyes from the road to text, they can easily miss a traffic signal changing from green to yellow to red.
Pedestrian Collisions
Aside from other motorists, pedestrians are the most affected by texting and driving. A driver who is looking at their phone to send a text can easily miss a pedestrian who stepped is crossing at a crosswalk. According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report, more than 440 pedestrians die a year due to texting and driving.
Bicycle Accidents
Drivers who text often drift out of their lanes as they look down at their phones. If a cyclist is at the wrong place at the wrong time, a texting driver may drift onto the road’s shoulder or bike lane, colliding with the cyclist. According to the United States Department of Transportation, more than 500 cyclists were killed in distracted driving accidents in 2018 alone.
At The Levinson Law Group, we are passionate about helping our clients seek justice after being seriously injured in a San Diego car accident. Our dedicated team of personal injury lawyers understands the science and the law pertaining to texting while driving accidents, which we put to use in each of our clients’ cases.
Schedule a Free Consultation With A Texting & Driving Accident Attorney Near You
At The Levinson Law Group, we are passionate about helping our clients seek justice after being seriously injured in a San Diego car accident. Our dedicated team of personal injury lawyers understands the science and the law pertaining to texting while driving accidents, which we put to use in each of our clients’ cases.
Recovering After a San Diego Texting While Driving Accident
The recovery process after being involved in a car accident is a lengthy one. While accidents affect people differently, in most cases, the accident will seriously disrupt your life. You may spend days or weeks in the hospital. Even after you are discharged, you may miss work due to lingering pain and physical limitations. Once the medical bills start coming in, it is common to experience even more stress.
If you have been injured in a San Diego texting and driving accident, you have options. You can take steps to hold the negligent driver accountable for their actions and obtain much-needed financial compensation by bringing a personal injury claim against the driver who caused the accident.
- The other driver owed you a duty of care
- They violated that duty
- The driver’s breach of the duty they owed to you caused the accident
- You suffered economic or non-economic damages as a result of the accident
In texting while driving cases, the first two elements are typically met with ease. All drivers owe other motorists a duty of care to operate their vehicle with care and to follow the rules of the road. And because texting while driving is against California law, it constitutes a breach of the legal duty drivers owe one another. Thus, these claims often come down to causation, which requires you to prove that the driver’s negligent decision to text while driving caused the accident.
Once you meet each of these elements, the next step is to establish the damages you suffered due to the accident. When thinking about damages, it is imperative to consider both the economic costs you incurred because of the accident, as well as the non-economic toll the accident had on your life.
At The Levinson Law Group, our San Diego texting and driving accident lawyers will work closely with you to identify the full impact the accident had on your life. Filing a lawsuit is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It is a way for you to ensure that you are not left paying for another’s mistake.
Contact The Experienced Texting and Driving Accident Lawyers in San Diego, California at the Levinson Law Group
If you have been injured in a San Diego texting and driving accident, the dedicated advocates at The Levinson Law Group can help you understand your rights so you can make the decision that is best for your family. If you have questions about the recovery process, we can answer them. If you are not sure whether you want to bring a case against the other driver, that is fine; we will not pressure you or try to “sell” you on anything.
When you decide to work with The Levinson Law Group, you can rest assured that you will have someone in your corner throughout the entire process. We begin by explaining the recovery process in understandable terms and make ourselves available to answer your questions whenever they come up. We have outstanding reviews all across the Internet, from AVVO to Google My Business, to Yelp, and we encourage you to check them out. To learn more about your options, give The Levinson Law Group a call at 760-827-1700. We accept cases on a contingent fee. That means that if there is no recovery in your case, you pay no fee. And in most cases, we even advance the costs.
