Bloomfield Hills, Michigan personal injury attorney Thomas L. Stroble applauds efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving during National Teen Driver Safety Week.
Bloomfield Hills, MI (PRWEB) October 20, 2010
National Teen Driver Safety Week should serve as a valuable reminder that young people are killed or injured every day from distracted driving and that more education is needed to reduce distracted driving accidents among teen drivers, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan personal injury lawyer Thomas L. Stroble says.
“It’s important to have awareness programs like National Teen Driver Safety Week because they help to educate teens and their parents about this important safety issue,” Stroble says. “We need to get the message out that distracted driving is dangerous driving.”
National Teen Driver Safety Week runs from October 17-24 and is a part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s ongoing Teen Safe Driving Campaign.
Statistics show that distracted driving is a serious problem among teen drivers, says Stroble of The Michigan Injury Lawyers, P.C., which represents car accident victims throughout Oakland County, Macomb County, Warren, Clinton Township, Sterling Heights, Rochester, St. Clair Shores, Mount Clemens, Utica and Roseville.
In 2008, more than 3,750 teenagers ages 15 through 19 died in automobile crashes of all types, and almost 660, or 18 percent, of those were killed in crashes involving some form of distracted driving, according to the NHTSA.
The use of electronic devices while driving is one of the leading distractions among teen drivers, Stroble says. Although there’s nothing wrong with listening to music on an iPod, talking on a cell phone or sending a text message – don’t do it while you’re behind the wheel, Stroble says.
In a study by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, almost half of the teens interviewed said they had been in an automobile with a texting driver. One in three teens said that they had texted while driving.
“I can’t imagine anything more distracting while driving than trying to type into a tiny keyboard,” Stroble says. “This type of driving not only puts the teen driver at the risk of injury or death in an accident. It also endangers the health and safety of other drivers on the road.”
Stroble says he is hopeful that anti-texting laws, strong police enforcement and public awareness campaigns will help to reduce distracted driving accidents involving teen drivers.
At least 30 states have passed legislation that bans texting while driving, including Michigan, which made texting behind the wheel a civil infraction that carries a $100 fine for the first offense and a $200 fine for subsequent offenses. The law took effect in July.
“We need to make sure that teen drivers are aware that texting while driving is not only against the law,” Stroble says. “It also defies common sense.”
About The Michigan Injury Lawyers, P.C.
The Michigan Injury Lawyers, P.C. is a full-service law firm based in Bloomfield Hills, MI, which represents medical malpractice victims and their families throughout the state of Michigan, including Macomb County, Warren, Clinton Township, Sterling Heights, St. Clair Shores, Mount Clemens, Utica and Roseville. The firm’s personal injury practice areas also include truck accidents, car accidents, motorcycle accidents, birth injuries, slip and fall, dog bite and wrongful death. To learn more about The Michigan Injury Lawyers, P.C. call (248) 454-0800 or (888) 454-0801 or use the firm’s online contact form.