Louisiana Ranks Third in State with Most Distracted Drivers, Report Says
There is no doubt that distracted driving is a major contributor to car accidents in Louisiana and throughout the United States. With the increase of cell phone use in the car, leading drivers to multitask by both driving and watching social media videos, texting friends, or catching up on the news, distracted driving is likely to be worse than ever before. But just exactly how bad has distracted driving become in the United States and specifically Louisiana? Data compiled by student driver education company Zutobi from the April 2023 National Highway Safety Administration report helps shed light on those questions.
Distracted Driving in the U.S. and Louisiana – What is It?
At the outset, it is important to understand exactly what distracted driving really is. According to Zutobi, “distracted driving occurs when the operator of the vehicle is trying to do something else besides drive. Since the driver’s attention is divided, distracted driving will drastically boost the chance of a car accident or fatal crash.” Zutobi lists the most common causes of driver distractions as other persons in the vehicle, using a cell phone while driving, adjusting car controls, such as the radio and heat, eating or drinking while driving, smoking while driving, and daydreaming. Zutobi also notes that texting is perhaps the most shocking distraction with the average text taking at least 5 seconds to read. A person can drive the length of a football field at 55 miles per hour, Zutobi suggests, in that amount of time.
Distracted driving is responsible for 8% of total car accidents in the United States. In 2021 alone, 3,522 individuals were killed in the United States in distracted-driver involved car accidents.
Louisiana Comes in Third in Distracted Driving
According to Zutobi, Louisiana ranks third out of all the states when it comes to the state with the most distracted driving. Only New Mexico and Hawaii beat out Louisiana, and Kansas, Kentucky, and New Jersey trail Louisiana in fourth, fifth, and sixth place. When it comes to the states with the least amount of distracted driving, Alaska, Vermont, and Nevada take top places on the list. There were a total of 175 fatal car accidents in Louisiana in the year 2021 that involved distracted driving.
Justice for Victims of Distracted Driving Car Accidents in Louisiana
Fortunately, in Louisiana, when a person is injured in a car accident due to the distracted driving of another person, they may be entitled to money compensation for their injuries under Louisiana personal injury laws. Compensation for car accident victims under Louisiana personal injury laws may include lost earnings compensation, medical expense payments, compensation for pain and suffering, compensation for damage to property, and more. In order to determine whether you may be entitled to money compensation for your car accident injuries in Louisiana, it is best to speak with an experienced Louisiana personal injury lawyer. The experienced Louisiana personal injury lawyers at Lunsford Baskin & Priebe offer a free and confidential consultation to learn about your case and to see if they can help you. Contact Lunsford Baskin & Priebe today and speak with a lawyer about your case for free.
