Although it’s been a problem since long before the days when everyone had a mobile device at their fingertips, we’re hearing more and more these days about the dangers of distracted driving. Whether it’s a cellphone, a hamburger or a disruptive passenger, anything that distracts a driver long enough to take his eyes off the road can lead to a car accident.
Distracted driving is what apparently led to a crash that injured two people earlier this week in Upper Mount Bethel Township, Pennsylvania. According to police, a 25-year-old man was driving north on a busy road when he became distracted and crashed his pickup truck into the car in front of him, which had slowed down. The impact pushed the car into the southbound lane, which caused it to collide with another pickup truck.
The two people inside the car suffered moderate to severe injuries and were taken to hospitals for treatment. The driver of the truck their car crashed into suffered minor injuries, and the driver who caused the crash was unharmed. The two who went to hospitals could elect to file a personal injury suit against the driver who caused the crash to ensure their medical expenses are covered.
Accidents like these are the reason Pennsylvania authorities are cracking down on distracted drivers. In March of this year, the Department of Transportation will implement a law that bans texting while driving across the state. It will be classified as a primary offense, which means that a driver can be pulled over for no other reason. While some believe it will be a hard rule to enforce, others feel it doesn’t go far enough, and that cellphone use by drivers shouldn’t be allowed at all.
What do you think? Should there be a ban on all cellphone activity behind the wheel? Will the no-texting law result in a decrease in car crashes? Or is there a happy medium that has yet to be reached?
Source: Lehigh Valley Live, “Two people severely injured in Upper Mount Bethel Township accident,” Michael Buck, Jan. 9, 2011