Progressive Insurance recently released the results of a survey in which over 90 percent of respondents said that distracted driving should be made illegal. Overall, 65 percent of those who responded to the survey felt that texting or looking at a phone was a major cause of traffic accidents in Oklahoma and throughout the country. However, over a third of respondents also said that they felt they could safely text while driving.
Among respondents between the ages of 18 and 34, 62 percent said that they were confident that they could still drive while texting. Only 6 percent of those 55 or older shared that view. Men were more likely than women to believe that they could text while driving. However, both genders overwhelmingly agreed that distracted driving should not be allowed.
When drivers saw another person on their phone while in a car, the two most common emotions felt were concern and irritation. Those were the top two responses regardless of age or gender. Many respondents also said that a police officer should be able to pull a driver over simply for texting.
If a person is hit by a driver who is texting and driving, they may be entitled to compensation. This may make it easier to pay medical bills, make up for lost wages and potentially make up for lost future earnings. Punitive damages may also be available in some cases. An attorney may be able to gather physical evidence or use witness testimony to show that a driver was negligent in causing the accident.