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A new study from the University of North Texas Health Science Center is shedding additional light on the dangers of texting while driving. This statistical study confirms the dangers of distracted driving that our Oklahoma personal injury attorneys have longed warned the public about. Over the years we have seen the devastating effects distracted driving in car wrecks as well as trucking accidents. “Trends in Fatalities From Distracted Driving in the United States, 1999 to 2008” clearly establishes that after

“declining from 1999 to 2005, fatalities from distracted driving increased 28% after 2005, rising from 4572 fatalities to 5870 in 2008. Crashes increasingly involved male drivers driving alone in collisions with roadside obstructions in urban areas. By use of multivariate analyses, we predicted that increasing texting volumes resulted in more than 16000 additional road fatalities from 2001 to 2007.”

The study employed a comprehensive methodology which used the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) records data on all road fatalities that occurred on public roads in the United States from 1999 to 2008. The authors then studied the trends in distracted driving fatalities, driver and crash characteristics, and trends in cell phone use and texting volume.

This is a scary trend that needs to stop. This growing public safety epidemic paired with this statistical study clearly establishes that “legislation enacting texting bans should be paired with effective enforcement to deter drivers from using cell phones while driving.”

If you need a reminder of how quick an accident can happen while your distracted, take a look at the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2D3hB278Gc&feature=player_embedded

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