Georgia Truck Accident Lawyers Blog

According to Ray LaHood, U.S. Transportation Secretary, the “Faces of Distracted Driving” public service announcement has been viewed more than 100,000 times. This PSA was released by the U.S. Department of Transportation back in November of 2010. The 30-second announcement uses a number of stories from residents across the country who have been the victim of distracted driving-related car accidents in Atlanta and elsewhere.

Our Atlanta trucking accident attorneys understand how dangerous driver distractions can be. The need for focused and alert driving is extremely important as we head into the holiday season. Road traffic will be increasing as the end of the year approaches. During this time, the risks for a potentially fatal accident increase as well. Drivers are urged to curb all distractions to avoid an accident.

“I thank all of the families of distracted driving victims who have bravely chosen to share their stories of loss with the world,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

No text message or phone call is worth risking the life of an innocent motorist. The videos from the U.S. Department of Transportation aim to reveal the true consequences of distracted driving to motorists nationwide.

There were approximately 5,500 people who were killed in 2009 because of motor-vehicle accidents that reported the involvement of a distracted driver. About 500,000 people were injured in these types of incidents throughout the year as well.

According to Fox News, truck drivers are currently prohibited from text messaging while driving, but laws to make it illegal for truckers to talk on a cell phone while behind the wheel are still pending. As long as drivers are allowed to engage in distractions behind the wheel, we will continue to see innocent lives lost on our roadways.

Every year, we see far too many accidents on our roadways that are the result of driver distractions. These accidents oftentimes end fatally when a large truck is involved. Transportation officials continue to work at eliminating the life-threatening habit of driving while engaging in distractions. All we need is more driver responsibility to curb the dangers.

"The risks of texting while driving are beyond belief," said Boyd Stephenson of the American Trucking Association.

Distracted driving can be classified in many categories, including:

-Eating.

-Smoking.

-Drinking.

-Playing with the radio.

-Surfing the web.

-Applying makeup.

-Interacting with passengers.

-Operating a GPS device or a paper map.

-Talking on a cell phone.

-Text messaging.

All of these behaviors can lead to a potentially fatal accident and can be prevented. Until there is a federal law banning this behavior and more enforcement efforts to can the act, drivers are asked to make responsible decisions behind the wheel and to pay attention to the roadways and to traffic.