Distracted driving is now one of the biggest auto accident causes in Georgia with a new study finding that more than 50% of all car accidents in the state involve a driver who was distracted at the wheel.
That information comes from the Governors Office of Highway Safety and the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System, which included car accidents that occurred in 2022. The data was is in the Georgia Traffic Safety Fact Sheet, and according to the data, 53% of all car accidents in Georgia in that year involved a confirmed or suspected distracted driver.
The data does not define whether these distractions involved electronic distractions like the use of cell phones while driving. The term “distractions” can mean different types of activities while driving including having conversations with passengers, snacking and drinking, reaching out for things and other types of distracting activities. Any type of distraction that is manual, physical or cognitive can take a person’s attention away from the task of driving and cause an auto accident.
Further analysis of the data in the Georgia Traffic Safety Fact Sheet finds that distracted driving car accidents are typically devastating auto accidents which result in multiple personal injuries and wrongful deaths. More than 75% of the car accidents involving distracted drivers in 2022, for example, involved at least one other vehicle. Pedestrians and bicyclists seem to bear the brunt of car accidents caused by distracted drivers. At least 13% of the distracted driving auto accidents in 2022 involved personal injuries and wrongful deaths to pedestrians and bicyclists. Drivers between the ages of 15 and 24 accounted for more than a quarter of all distracted driving -related car accidents in Georgia in 2022.
In 2018, Georgia passed laws that banned the use of handheld cell phones while driving. The laws ban not just texting and having a conversation while driving, but also the use of handheld devices like cell phones to check emails, check social media and perform other tasks while driving. Those laws have significantly helped reduce the number of people who use cell phones while driving.
In 2022, there were as many as 49,000 recorded violations involving distracted driving in Georgia. That means that there are still too many people who feel comfortable using their cell phones for texting and having conversations at the wheel, even though it is illegal now to do so, and knowing that these actions can increase their risks of being involved in potentially fatal car accidents.
The Atlanta car accident lawyers at Katz Personal Injury Lawyers are dedicated to the representation of persons who have suffered injuries in car accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across the state of Georgia. If you or a loved one have suffered injuries in a car accident, talk to an attorney at our firm and discuss your legal options for a case for damages. You may qualify for compensation that includes medical costs, lost income, pain and suffering and other forms of damages. Talk to an attorney at our firm and discuss your case. Initial consultations are free