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The National Safety Council has found that drivers talking on a cell phone fail to see and process up to 50 percent of the information in their driving environment. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety determined that drivers using cell phones are four times as likely to get into serious crashes as those not on cell phones. If negligent driving has harmed you or a loved one, a Maryland personal injury lawyer can help you hold unsafe drivers accountable.
Joining Washington, D.C. and six states, Maryland banned the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. Maryland’s ban is weaker than other states, however, because it is a secondary offense, which means that police officers must have another reason for stopping a driver before issuing a ticket for cell phone use.
More and more states have sought to ban cell phone use or limit it to hands-free only, as studies come out indicating how dangerous driving while talking on a cell phone is. The US Transportation secretary convened several summits over the past year on the dangers of distracted driving and launched a program entitled “Phone in one hand, ticket in the other”. Popular talk show host Oprah Winfrey has held anti-cell phone rallies, telling her supporters that a call or text is not worth taking a life.
If cell phone use played a role in a car accident that injured you, contact Justin M. Beall, a Maryland personal injury attorney, at Koonz, McKenney, Johnson & DePaolis L.L.P.