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Traffic fatalities on the rise in Washington

On Behalf of | Mar 13, 2017 | Personal Injury |

Recently, the Annual Collision Summary for Washington was released by state officials. The report offers information regarding the year 2015 and the news is not good. A total of 551 persons lost their lives on our state’s roads and that number represents a 20 percent jump over the 2014 fatality total.

Much of the blame for the report’s disappointing results can be pinned to distracted or inattentive driving, which accounted for 46,000 of the 114,000 accidents on the books for 2015.

Yet another report, one put out by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, has results based on an observational study of drivers. According to this study, almost nine percent of drivers are in some way distracted while on the road.

Cell phones are considered a primary culprit of stealing the attention of motorists. And according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission’s distracted driving program director, using a cell phone while driving is exceptionally dangerous because doing so occupies your hands, eyes, and concentration, all of which are needed to safely operate a motor vehicle.

So what can be done to curtail accidents and fatalities on our state’s roadways? Well, at present consideration is being given by lawmakers to ban the use of cellphones while driving. But as things stand, we will all have to keep our eyes open for distracted drivers.

If you or a family member has been in an accident caused by a distracted driver, an experienced personal injury attorney could work with insurance companies in an effort to make sure you get the compensation to which you are entitled.

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