Today as I was driving to work, I saw on the TDOT board that there were 956 traffic fatalities in 2016 and 943 fatalities so far in 2017. How many of those car accidents and motorcycle accidents involved texting and driving? How many more accidents happened that involved serious personal injury?
As I was driving, I started observing drivers in the surrounding vehicles. More than half of the drivers were either texting and driving or talking on the cell phone with no blue tooth. A woman talking on her cell phone near West Town Mall pulled over into my lane without looking or signaling and I had to swerve into the shoulder to avoid her hitting the front end of my vehicle. What if I hadn’t been paying attention to her and we had an accident? There would definitely have been significant property damage if not injury, which would have then involved insurance companies and possible rate increases over an accident that was completely avoidable.
As we head into this busy holiday season, let’s remember how our actions can affect others. Ask yourself, is what I have to say so important that I can’t wait until I reach my destination to text or call someone? Let’s all do our part to keep everyone safe on the road and put our phones down while driving. No one wants to receive a phone call advising them that a loved one has been killed due to someone who was distracted while driving.
The Bond Law Firm would like to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!