Oregon to Participate in Distracted Driving Awareness Month

The National Safety Council has designated April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month and has challenged drivers to go online to the Council’s website and sign a pledge promising to refrain from cell phone use (texting or talking) while behind the wheel during the month of April. Oregon car accident attorneys at DuBois Law Group encourage drivers in Oregon to participate in this nationwide effort, and hopefully come to the realization that cell phone usage while driving isn’t necessarily as important as some people might think. Waiting those few minutes required to get to where you are going before using a cell phone could save your life or the life of another – a practice well worth the safety benefits gained.

However, cell phone usage isn’t the only distracted driver activity that has been found to be the cause of accidents. NBC News recently reported that daydreaming behind the wheel is also quite deadly when it comes to distracted driving incidents. According to the NBC News story, a research project conducted by Erie Insurance Group revealed that daydreaming while driving is actually more dangerous than texting or talking on a cell phone while driving. In fact, 62 percent of all distracted driving accidents in the US each year that resulted in fatalities were blamed on the seemingly innocuous act of being “lost in thought,” while a mere 12 percent were determined to be the result of cell phone use.

The breakdown of other distractions that resulted in a fatality, according to the Erie study, was as follows.

• 7 percent: rubbernecking
• 5 percent: distraction due to other occupants of the vehicle or kids
• 2 percent: reaching for an item
• 2 percent: eating or drinking while driving
• Less that 2 percent: pets, operation of vehicle controls (heater, a/c, radio), and smoking

Distracted Driving Accident Victims Often Qualify for Injury Compensation

Oregon car accident attorneys see the results of distracted driving accidents on a daily basis. Representing car accident victims in personal injury claims, insurance claims, and wrongful death claims, DuBois Law Group is a law firm that truly cares about clients and works hard to see that injury victims are appropriately compensated. Often eligible for a variety of compensation, car accident victims who are injured in an accident through no fault of their own may be entitled to receive reimbursement for medical expenses, property damage, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident in Oregon and think you may be entitled to more compensation than the at-fault driver’s insurance provider has offered you or need to file a lawsuit to collect injury compensation, the Oregon car accident attorneys at DuBois Law Group are here to help. Offering initial free consultations to car accident victims, DuBois Law Group invites you to schedule an appointment for an evaluation of your Oregon car accident claim today.