Driving While Sending Text Messages Causes Ontario Accidents

Statistics of accidents resulting from text messaging and driving at the same time show that text messaging while driving is one of the leading causes of fatal accidents in recent times. In a recent research study  conducted, it was found that text messaging while driving is deadlier than drunk driving and can increase the chances of having a fatal crash by more than 23 times. Drivers are six times more likely to be distracted and cause an accident while text messaging and driving at the same time.

Combination of Driving and Text Messaging

Distracted drivers account for more than 80% of car accident and 60% of near car crashes in the United States and Canada alone on yearly basis. Out of these figures, more than 65% of such distractions occur from use of mobile cell phones while driving. According to the Canadian National Highway Safety Administration, the top distraction among drivers including text messaging, receiving and making phone calls, searching for a lost object inside the vehicle, talking with other passengers, applying make-up, driving while angry, and fidgeting with controls. Text messaging while driving still remains the deadliest and perhaps the most uncontrollable form of distraction while driving.

Compared to impaired driving, it has been revealed that those who drive under moderate alcohol consumption can still control their driving speeds to an extent. However, those who send text messages have no chances of controlling a car when an accident is about to occur. This shows that text messaging will make the driver unable to control himself or herself while operating on the device and sending a text message.

Text messaging while driving has been found to be the second leading causes of automobile accident deaths in 16-45 year olds in Canada. Students and teenagers have always been the age group that suffers the most casualties among all age groups.

Though some provinces in Canada, including Ontario, have rightly banned the use of cell phones while driving, the pressures of work, the anxiety to remain  in touch, emergencies may inhibit  people from adhering to this restriction.

Let’s hope that’s not the case.  If you have been in a serious car accident due to the fault of another driver, including a driver who was violating Ontario’s law against using hand-held devices while driving, contact an Ottawa accident lawyer at Auger Hollingsworth.

About the Author: Brenda Hollingsworth

Brenda Hollingsworth co-founded Ottawa’s Auger Hollingsworth in 2005 with her husband Richard Auger. Together, their mission was to create a personal injury law firm for Eastern Ontario that is unrivalled in the province for customer service and legal expertise. Brenda was named an Ottawa Business Journal Forty Under 40 award recipient and took home the Women’s Business Network’s Businesswoman of the Year award in the Professional category. She was also recognized as one of Ottawa Life Magazine’s “Top 50 People in the Capital.” She is often quoted as an expert and has appeared in media outlets such as CTV, The Globe and Mail, National Post, Ottawa Citizen, Sun Media, CBC, Toronto Star, Montreal Gazette, CFRA and many legal publications.

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