Puls + Haney Principal Warns About Texting and
Driving; Notes this is a Primary Reason for Accidents
By Kelly Puls, Attorney-at-Law, Puls + Haney
Board Certified in Personal Injury and Civil
Trial Law
text message distracts a driver for about five seconds; at highway speeds, that
represents a distance of about 300 feet in which the car is essentially out of
control.
In a survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, over 90 percent of
drivers recognize the danger from cell phone distractions and find it “unacceptable” that drivers text or send e-mail while driving. Nevertheless, 35
percent of these same people admit to having read or sent a text message or
e-mail while driving in past weeks. Similarly, two-thirds of the respondents
admitted to talking on a cell phone, even though 88 percent found it a safety
threat.
PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
For years now, drivers who have hit another vehicle have thought they
could get away with hiding their cell phone under their seat. They thought
they could deny that they were using their phone when the accident
occurred.
This is no longer the case. My law firm routinely accesses driver’s cell
phone records, an analysis which can ultimately prove the innocence of our
clients who have been seriously injured by another person not being responsible.
Simply put, at Puls Haney, we take texting and driving seriously. Our
trial law section understands that bad things happen to good people. We
strive to be leaders in corrective justice.
Puls + Haney is now Puls Haney Kaiser PLLC; the new firm’s website is
coming soon.
APRIL 2016
It’s 9 a.m. and you’re driving southbound on I-45, when suddenly the
18-wheeler next to you drifts into your
lane and strikes the front of your car.
You are slammed headfirst into th e
median. Your airbags burst in your face
and across your chest, and your body
feels like you are on fire. This happens
almost daily on Texas highways. The
cause—not drinking and driving—but
texting and driving. Distracted driving is
the new DWI, with lethal consequences.
According to the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, distracted
driving is “any activity that could divert
a person’s attention away from the
primary task of driving.” It’s not just
texting or making calls on a cell phone;
any activity that diverts a driver’s attention puts that driver and passengers, and
everyone else sharing the road, at serious risk.
A partial list of what counts as a
distraction would include things such
as using a cell phone or smart phone;
including texting, eating and drinking,
smoking, attending to or disciplining
children, grooming, reading, using a
navigation system, watching a video,
or adjusting a radio or temperature
controls.
Traffic safety experts classify distractions into three main types, all of which
are involved in texting.
• Manual Distractions. Those where
you move your hands away from the
task of controlling the vehicle. Reaching
for a soda is an example.
• Visual Distractions. Those where
you focus your eyes away from the road.
You drop your soda; when it spills, you
look down at your wet shoes and stained
slacks.
• Cognitive Distraction is when your
mind wanders. You start to consider
whether you can afford to replace the
clothing you just ruined; you’re no
longer paying attention to your driving.
Researcher David Strayer (University
of Utah) found that talking on a cell
phone quadruples your risk of an accident, about the same as if you were driving drunk. That risk doubles again, to
eight times normal, if you are texting.
Moreover, the National Safety
Council says that sending or receiving a
11