The issue is such that October 18th – October 24th has been declared to be “Teen Driver Safety Week” in Washington, and the event is an effort to bring awareness to the risks involved with young drivers and to help alert anyone to steps that can be taken that lead to safer roads and fewer problems for young Washington residents who get behind the wheel.

One look at some basic statistics can explain why such a week has been planned. According to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC), 140 people between the ages of 16 and 19 have been killed in auto accidents in Washington, and more than 400 have been seriously injured. The leading causes of these accidents appears to include speeding, drug and/or alcohol impairment, inattention or a combination thereof.

Young drivers are also much more likely to play loud music, joy ride and use their phones for calls and/or texting while driving, all of which only adds to the dangers that these young drivers incur. These risks also create danger for anyone else who happens to be sharing the road with them at any given time, thereby creating a situation where the state government decided to take action.

This is also the reason that insurance premiums tend to be more expensive for young or new drivers than for almost anyone else. The insurance industry assesses risks, and clearly they see young drivers as the biggest risk within this context. If you or someone you love has been injured or worse by a young driver in Washington or by anyone else, you need to contact a Washington auto accident lawyer at Phillips & Webster today to schedule a free initial consultation.

Now comes word that Congress is considering a federal bill that would be tied to federal highway funding, which basically means that if any state does not follow the new regulation, it would risk losing these payments, which are critical to every state for several reasons. This legislation would speak to the federal banning of texting while driving, but would affect truck drivers and the technology installed in their cabs that allow them to remain connected to their employer, to send and receive emails and to map their course as they drive.

The Virginia Tech study that was made famous for concluding that drivers are 23 times more likely to get into an accident while texting also showed that truck drivers are 10 times more likely to encounter problems while using these computers. However, many trucking companies have some regulations that require drivers to pull over in order to send and receive messages or to use these computers in almost any way.

The problem is that in reality, drivers do not normally have the option of pulling over, as they are running extremely tight schedules and could even face pay cuts if they’re even a few minutes late with a load. It breaks down to the classic business versus safety dichotomy, and the trucking industry is resisting the enactment of this regulation as it applies to them.

Simply put, anything that puts drivers of trucks and anyone around them at risk is problematic, and if someone is injured by a truck driver who was distracted at the time, that truck driver could face a stronger claim brought by the injured plaintiff. If you or someone you love has been injured by a truck driver, you need to contact the Washington trucking accidents lawyers at Phillips & Webster as soon as possible to schedule a free initial consultation.

In terms of enforcement, Washington was busy writing tickets for these violations last year, according to Hands Free Info, a Web site that tracks these statistics:

“The fine for using a cell phone without a hands-free device is $124, but drivers must have committed another infraction to get that ticket.

One year after the cell phone driving law took effect, the State Patrol reported these numbers: 4,939 drivers were stopped for use of handheld cell phones and 1,659 were ticketed. The majority of stops resulted in warnings. For text messaging, the State Patrol said 577 drivers were pulled over and 221 tickets were written. The number of collisions attributed to use of handheld devices fell from 1,118 (2007) to 827.

State Sen. Tracey Eide, D-Federal Way, a sponsor of the hands-free requirement for cell phone use, reportedly is considering a new push to make violations a primary offense, meaning law enforcement officers may pull over drivers for that reason alone.”

While it’s clear that the number of collisions fell during the first year of enforcement, the long-term effects remain to be seen. Regardless, if you are hit by someone who is violating this law, it could lead to a higher presumption of negligence. If this sounds familiar, you need to contact the auto accident lawyers at Phillips & Webster today to schedule a free initial consultation.