7 Reasons To Avoid Texting While Driving
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In the age of technology, driving while distracted by cell phones has become an increasing problem across the United States. Nearly every state now has laws against doing so and for good reason. Texting while driving is incredibly dangerous and can lead to many adverse effects for you and those around you. Here are 7 reasons that you should avoid distracted driving with your cell phone at all costs.
Texting While Driving Can Kill
There is no sugarcoating the reality of texting and driving. When your focus is on your phone, you are not paying attention to the road. While you have probably used your phone successfully many times while driving and not encountered any ill effects, the practice is still incredibly dangerous for others on the road, your passengers, and you. Pedestrians and bicyclists are especially vulnerable to distracted drivers, though your car can kill anyone when it veers from its lane or doesn’t stop in time due to your fixation on your phone.
Your Reaction Time is Slow
Part of why it is so dangerous to text and drive is because it drastically slows your reaction time. Your eyes and brain are trained on your phone instead of the road, so when something changes and you need to react quickly, you will have a visual and mental lag that impact your speed in doing so. Therefore, when the car in front of you slams on its brakes or a young child runs out in front of you, it is less likely that you will be able to stop in time if you are texting than if you are focused on driving.
Your Chances of Crashing are Much Higher
Along the same lines, you are endangering the lives of you and your passengers when you text and drive. In fact, you are 23 times more likely to crash your vehicle when texting while driving than if you are attending carefully to the road, and nearly 80 percent of crashes involve a distracted driver. In addition to leading to unnecessary property damage, the risk to you and others in your car and in the cars around you is not worth it.
Hands-Free and Voice Technology are Easy to Use
Nearly every situation that you feel the need to text for either can wait until you reach your destination, or is serious enough that you can pull over. However, there are safer options for contacting or responding to messages while driving than texting directly on your phone. Many newer cars include Bluetooth and voice-activated technology that allow your car to access your phone, read text messages aloud, and allow you to dictate a response. While these actions are still distracting, they are far less so than holding and pressing buttons on your phone while trying to simultaneously drive your car safely.
Your Insurance Will Go Up
When you get caught texting and receive a ticket, it will often impact your insurance coverage. In states where texting is against the law, a ticket for doing so usually has a penalty of several points on the license. As you rack up points, you risk large price increases to your policy and potentially being dropped from the insurance carrier due to the riskiness of your choices.
The Fines are Exorbitant
Even if you do not harm anyone as a result of texting and driving, you can still face penalties in most states. 48 states have banned texting while driving for everyone, leading to tickets and penalties for those who do so within those state boundaries. Therefore, if you get caught using your cell phone while in the driver’s seat, you can be saddled with a hefty fine. If you are caught texting in a work zone or have several infractions, you could even face the loss of your license.
You Could Face Jail Time
In many states, texting while driving carries a fine if caught. However, in some jurisdictions, this act can be considered a criminal misdemeanor that is punishable with some jail time. This is particularly true if it is in a school or work zone, or if there have been multiple offenses. If you damage property, injure someone, or kill as a result of your texting, you could face felony charges and an even longer prison sentence.
If you do find yourself saddled with a ticket for distracted driving, though, it is not the end of your driving career. There are ways to fight back and even dismiss certain types of tickets in California with the support of getdismissed.com. The website has a unique set of resources to help you to build a case to defend yourself against the following four distraction charges levied in California:
- Looking at and/or answering text messages while operating a motor vehicle
- Reading and/or responding to email while driving
- Following GPS on your phone while the car is in motion
- Staring at your phone screen for any reason while in the driver seat
At getdismissed.com, you can defend yourself against any of these charges without incurring hefty attorneys fees and penalties imposed by pleading or being found guilty in court. The process is easily completed from the comfort of your home through a trial of written declaration. Simply submit a picture of your traffic ticket and your license to the website and answer some questions about your charge. The team will prepare the best and appropriate defense for your specific case. Additionally, if there are forms that you need to file to fight your tickets, the website provides access to all of the documents needed to request trials, new court dates, and update your driving records. If your case is unable to be dismissed and your need to attend traffic school, your membership benefits include free enrollment in a course to reduce your points and satisfy your punishment.
While you should always focus on the road and avoid driving and texting, it is reassuring to know that you have someone in your corner if you are ticketed for violating this law. If you have received a citation in the state of California, go to getdismissed.com right away to receive help with your case. Next time, make sure you tuck your phone away out of sight before you get behind the wheel.
Steve has been leading the fight against traffic tickets for over 22 years and is the CEO/President of GetDismissed, a service that empowers California drivers with traffic tickets to fight back without going to court. As a thought leader and business entrepreneur, Steve has also been featured on TV, Radio, Print, and Online as a traffic ticket expert talking about such subjects as distracted driving, contesting traffic tickets, traffic ticket myths, traffic ticket tips, traffic law, and more. Steve is a published author, releasing his first book in 2011, and now has four books regarding fighting traffic tickets which can be found on Amazon. Read More…
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What Types of Tickets Do We Help With?
GetDismissed produces results in fighting all kinds of tickets. Unfortunately, this list does not include exhibition of speed citations. Your best bet in fighting one of these infractions, is to contact an attorney. An attorney can negotiate on your behalf to try and reduce fines, or even to reduce the charges to a lesser infraction which could possibly qualify for traffic school.
We do however, contest infractions revolving around speeding, red lights, red light cameras, cell phones, signs (primarily stop signs), carpool violations, U-turns, out of lane violations, and commercial violations. If you receive a citation and have questions, contact us today.
