Daily at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner, our attorneys see the devastating effects of serious and fatal motor vehicle accidents. Unexpected, catastrophic accidents are life-changing events that can happen in just seconds. Our job as attorneys is to help these accident victims and their families recover, to the fullest extent possible, from a tragic accident.
All too often, these accidents are caused by distracted drivers. Sending or reading a text while behind the wheel, surfing the internet, posting to Facebook, and even Tweeting can take a driver’s eyes off the road for almost five seconds. That is enough time to travel the length of a football field when going 55 mph. More importantly, that is too much time to take your eyes off your number one job behind the wheel: driving safely.
That is why we created our Text Free Texas campaign. We want to get the word out that texting while driving is dangerous. It is not just dangerous to others with whom you share the road; single-vehicle accidents caused by distracted drivers occur as well.
Our Text Free Texas campaign is intended to raise awareness of distracted driving and encourage others to do as we have decided to do: put down your phone while driving. Save a life, possibly your own life, by making the decision not to text and drive.
Did You Know? In 2011, 81,000, or about one of every four, car crashes in Texas were caused by distracted drivers. These preventable motor vehicle accidents suddenly and unexpectedly claimed the lives of 361 people.
The question is now, “What can be done to stop these types of tragedies?” Through our Text Free Texas campaign, we encourage and challenge you to ask, “What can I do to stop these types of tragedies?” The answer is simple: put down your phone. Focus on the road. If you need to read or send a text, pull over. If it is not important enough to pull off the road, it can wait.
Encourage your friends and family members to put down their phones while driving. Designate a texter. Ask a passenger to read and respond to incoming text messages.
Add an app to your phone that allows you to autorespond to incoming texts and calls, alerting your friends and family that you are driving and will get back to them when it is safe to do so.
Saving a life may never have sounded so easy. You can do it. A Text Free Texas is possible and together we can make it happen.
Tell everyone that you are with us in working toward ending needless fatal accidents caused by distracted driving in Texas. Facebook * Twitter @AbrahamWatkins #TxtFreeTX