The Cochran Firm Legal Blog

The end of 2009 has brought the beginning of a well-deserved and highly anticipated ban on texting while driving in North Carolina. Drivers must now take their hands off the cell phone buttons and leave them on the steering wheel or face a fine.

The risk of an auto accident is 23 times greater than usual when a driver is texting while behind the wheel according to a recent Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study. Texting causes drivers to take their eyes and attention off the road for at least five second intervals. During that five second interval a car moving at highway speeds will travel the length of a football field.

The North Carolina texting while driving ban carries a one hundred dollar penalty that can more than double with fines for someone caught sending or reading a text while the car is in motion. Studies reveal that talking on a cell phone while driving, even using a hands-free headset, is also dangerous, increasing the likelihood of an automobile accident to the level of an alcohol or drug impaired driver. This distraction should be included in the ban as well to protect everyone on the roads and highways around the state.

If you have been involved in an automobile accident with a cell phone using texting driver, please contact the Durham, North Carolina office of The Cochran Firm today to learn how to proceed to protect your legal rights.

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