distracted driving

Teen Drivers: Put the Phone Away or Pay in Georgia

May 24, 2024 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

Distracted driving has many forms, but for teen drivers, one of the most dangerous is texting. Texting combines visual, manual, and cognitive distractions. According to NHTSA, since 2007, drivers 16 to 24 year olds are at greater risk for distracted driving crashes, many due to messaging and texting.

If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident involving technology distraction, you may find it helpful to talk to an experienced Marietta personal injury lawyer.

What is the Georgia Law About Texting?

Distracted Driving: Understand Legal Consequences in Georgia

May 3, 2024 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

Distracted driving is an increasingly dangerous problem in Georgia. If you have been involved in an accident involving a distracted driver, you may want to discuss your accident with an experienced Marietta personal injury lawyer.

Distracted Driving in Georgia: Are You Alert?

Distracted driving is defined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as “any activity that diverts attention from driving.”

The Legal Consequences of Distracted Driving in Georgia

April 25, 2024 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

Georgia has powerful laws against distracted driving, penalties for violating these laws, and a process in place for victims of distracted driving to seek compensation.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a distracted driving incident, there may be a lot of questions about how to seek justice. Talking with an experienced Marietta personal injury lawyer can be a good place to start getting answers.

Understanding Georgia Laws Against Distracted Driving

Teen Distracted Driving in Cobb County

July 7, 2023 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

If you or someone you love has been involved in a distracted driving accident, you do not have to navigate all the hassles of insurance companies alone.

Talk with a compassionate personal injury lawyer today so you can focus on your health and well-being.

Distracted Driving Among Teenagers

Go Hands-Free: It is the Law in Georgia

June 9, 2023 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

Georgia passed a “hands-free” law in July 2018. The law is clear about restricting almost all cellphone use while driving. Before 2018, the law banned only texting.

If you have not been up to date on this law or spoken with a personal injury lawyer, you may be unaware of the implications.

Most drivers are fully aware of the dangers of using a cell phone, texting, or searching on the web while driving. Just a moment of distracted driving can be enough to cause a collision, injury, or even death.

A Closer Look at Distracted Driving in Georgia

November 25, 2022 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

Since the start of the smartphone era in 2007, many states, including Georgia, have passed a hands-free law. In general, these laws prohibit motorists from holding and/or using smartphones and other digital devices while they are behind the wheel. However, these laws contain many exceptions, mostly for hands-free devices. Additionally, device distraction is only a small part of the distracted driver problem.

Many distracted drivers do not feel remorseful after they cause crashes, as if the device or behavior somehow excused their negligence. A Marietta personal injury attorney forces these tortfeasors (negligent drivers) to accept full responsibility for the wrecks they cause. This responsibility includes paying compensation for damages. In a perfect world, tortfeasors would do the right thing before a lawyer gets involved. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world.

Device Distraction

Distracted Driving is a Constant Problem on the Roads

January 15, 2021 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

No one who has ever driven a car is a stranger to distracted driving. Pretty much every single driver out there has driven while distracted at some point. Making adjustments to you climate controls, fiddling with your sound system, even eating some fast-food take-out – it is all distracted driving. Because everyone does it, and almost everyone does so without any serious consequences, many people tend to downplay the risks associated with distracted driving. Just because you have not been harmed by distracted driving, though, just means it has not happened yet. You have probably never been hit by lightning, either, but deaths and injuries from distracted driving are far more common than being hit by lightning. If you are on the road, you are at risk.

Distracted Driving is Deadly

More than 2,800 people died in the United States in 2018 in traffic accidents involving distracted drivers, and that number only reflects the number that we know about. Countless other accidents may have been caused by distracted driving but not reported as such. Another 400,000 people were injured in such accidents. Roughly 20% of those deaths were among people who were not even in a vehicle on the road – they were pedestrians, bicycle riders, or just close enough to a roadway to be killed in a traffic accident.

Understanding the Legal and Safety Risks of Texting While Driving

January 7, 2017 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

“Keep your eyes on the road,” is something every parent tells their teenager when teaching them how to drive. But paying attention to the road has become increasingly difficult in recent years with the advent of smartphone technology that makes it easy for people to text or chat with their friends while driving. “Distracted driving” is now considered a public safety problem on par with drunk driving.

More Than 3,000 Distracted Driving Deaths Every Year

The dangers of distracted driving are quite real. According to a recent New York Times article, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that 272 teenagers were killed throughout the country in 2015 in “distraction-affected” car accidents. Overall, 3,263 out of 3,477 crash-related deaths in 2015–94%–involved distracted driving.

Georgia Accident Victim Says Social Media Company’s Negligence Caused Crash

April 29, 2016 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

Distracted driving is a leading cause of car accidents. This is why “texting while driving” is illegal in Georgia and many other states. State law expressly forbids anyone from operating a motor vehicle “while using a wireless telecommunications device to write, send, or read any text based communication, including but not limited to a text message, instant message, e-mail, or Internet data.”

Maynard v. McGee and Snapchat, Inc.

When distracted driving does lead to a car accident, the driver may face a personal injury lawsuit from the victims. A lawsuit recently filed in Spalding County, Georgia, raises the novel question of whether a social media company may also be liable for encouraging distracted driving by its users. The lawsuit, which is still in its early stages, has already sparked international media attention.