The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, an agency under the CDC, says that 2,841 people died in 2018 as a result of distracted driving. What Louisiana residents should know is that while this marks a decrease from the 3,526 who died in 2015, it’s still a matter of concern for everyone, not just drivers. Around 20% of the 2018 victims were actually those outside of vehicles, such as pedestrians and bicyclists.
Visual, cognitive and manual distractions
The agency went on to speak of three main types of distractions for drivers: taking their eyes off the road, taking their mind off of driving and taking their hands off the steering wheel. Many distracting activities, such as phone use and eating, fall under all three categories.
Distractions affect all age groups
The CDC says that among the drivers involved in distracted driving crashes in 2018, nearly one-fourth were between the ages of 20 and 29; however, only 8% of these younger drivers in fatal crashes were distracted. The smallest percentage of drivers involved in fatal distracted driving crashes was made up of 15- to 19-year-olds. Their number came to 237. By comparison, there were 256 drivers in fatal distraction-related crashes who were 70 or older.
Legal representation for your case
Perhaps the driver who injured you was using a phone, eating or even just adjusting the climate control. Regardless of the reason, driving while distracted is clearly negligent, so you deserve compensation for your losses. Like many victims of motor vehicle accidents, you may want to consult a lawyer about how the filing process might go. You may find out how much you could potentially recover for lost wages and for non-economic damages like pain and suffering and emotional trauma.