What is Distracted Driving?
Distracted Driving is when a person operates a motor vehicle while engaging in activities that divert attention from driving tasks, such as:
- Talking on a cell phone
- Using a navigation system
- Texting or emailing
- Eating
- Adjusting hair or makeup
- Using the audio system
- Texting
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), “Distracted driving is any activity that…takes your attention away from the task of safe driving.” Studies have shown that texting while driving significantly increases the likelihood of a crash or near-crash event. The detrimental effects of distracted driving can range from minor fender-benders to severe accidents resulting in life-altering injuries or fatalities.
Understanding the risks associated with distracted driving and adopting safe driving practices can help mitigate its adverse impacts on road safety and overall public safety.
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AT&T Calls on All Drivers to Take its Never Text and Drive Pledge
AT&T stresses danger of distracted driving with its anti-texting while driving campaign
As Labor Day weekend comes to a close, so too does the state’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. However, the Pennsylvania State Police is on the lookout for drunk drivers 365-days-a-year. The police are also focused on stopping distracted drivers from taking to the PA highways. Now, AT&T is helping all law enforcement by raising the bar on its anti-texting campaign. AT&T is warning of the serious dangers caused by texting and driving and is urging all drivers to take its “Never Text and Drive” pledge.
AT&T’s message is simple: “When it comes to texting and driving, it can wait.” On its website, AT&T presents the pledge as follows:
No text message, email, website or video is worth the risk of endangering my life or the lives of others on the road. […]
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Pennsylvania Drivers Urged to be Aware of Information Exchanged After a Car Accident
Our Pennsylvania car accident attorneys encourage all drivers to do the right thing after a car accident: stop, assist others involved, call the police, exchange information with others, and contact your doctor. All of these are key steps to help minimize the stresses associated with being in a car crash and to help ensure that all legal processes are completed.
However, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) while it is important that anyone that has been in an accident shares appropriate information, it is critical that they not share too much information and risk putting themselves in jeopardy of identity theft.
The NAIC, the U.S. standard-setting and regulatory support organization created and governed by the chief insurance regulators in the U.S., reports identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the U.S. Federal statistics estimate nearly 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. […]
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Pennsylvania Drunk Drivers Target of Police Crackdown
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is once again getting the message out to Americans to “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.” Pennsylvania State Police and law enforcement agencies across the country are joining in the latest campaign, that runs through Labor Day, in an effort to get impaired drivers off roads.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 2010 State Motor Vehicle Fatalities statistics, there were 10,228 alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities nationwide in 2010. Pennsylvania saw 433 alcohol-related highway deaths in 2010. These deaths represented 24 percent of the 1,324 fatal accidents in the state that year. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reports preliminary data shows there were 428 alcohol-related accident fatalities and approximately 11,700 alcohol-related crashes statewide in 2011.
In a ceremony in Berks County where officials unveiled a memorial for victims of DUI accidents, Trooper Ethan Brownback said, […]
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Pennsylvania Car Accident Lawyer Warns that Higher Unemployment Could Mean Fewer Insured Drivers
Scranton, PA, August 18, 2012 — An uptick in the number of people in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre who are out of work could heighten the risk for those behind the wheel, says Pennsylvania car accident attorney Caroline Munley.
This summer, the unemployment rate for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area broke the nine percent mark for the first time since September 2011, according to the Scranton Times-Tribune. That was a full percentage point above the national average and two points above the rate for Pennsylvania as a whole.
“Unfortunately, when people lose their jobs, one thing they may do to cut costs is to cancel or reduce their car insurance,” said Munley, managing partner of the nationally recognized Pennsylvania personal injury firm of Munley Law, which has its headquarters in Scranton and offices across the state.
The law firm represents car accident victims in Pennsylvania and across the Northeast in matters that often involve car insurance issues. […]
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Pennsylvania Politician Critically Injured in Head-On Crash
Pennsylvania’s Republican candidate for the 112th District is in critical condition after a collision Monday morning. Raymond Nearhood swerved to avoid a pickup truck that had run out of gas and was stopped on the highway in front of him, according to the Times-Tribune. His car swerved into oncoming traffic crashing head-on into another vehicle. Nearhood and all three occupants from the other vehicle were taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
The vehicles were traveling on Casey Highway near Scranton, PA when Nearhood’s Toyota Camry slammed into an oncoming Cadillac CTS carrying an 8-year-old girl and two women. The driver and the front-seat passenger of the Cadillac both had to be cut out of the vehicle. The girl was in the back seat of the car and was safely pulled from the vehicle by other motorists. Police report that Nearhood was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident. […]
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