Distracted drivers are more than a danger and nuisance on Albany County’s roads and highways. They create an economic drain of millions of dollars that could be prevented entirely if more drivers chose to act responsibly.
Billions of dollars lost to distracted driving
According to the Insurance Information Institute, the National Highway Traffic Safety Commission estimated that in 2010, highway collisions cost the United States $871 billion in economic and societal damage. Of that, the NHTSA attributed $277 billion to economic losses, such as lost wages, reduced productivity, and the drain on resources needed to save victims’ lives, provide their ongoing medical needs, and so on.
The NHTSA data indicates that 17 percent of highway auto accidents that year were caused by distracted driving, mostly cellphone use by motorists. Thus, the economic impact of distracted driving accidents in the U.S. for 2010 was at least $46 billion.
Distracted driving in 2020: still a huge problem
This data is ten years old. Though New York and other states have since passed increasingly strict laws against distracted driving, the problem has not gone away. Every day, drivers throughout the country decide to put themselves and other people on the road at serious risk of death or long-term disability. It would not be surprising to learn that the economic impact is at least as powerful today as it was then.
Of course, if you have been victimized by a distracted driver, what matters most to you is the personal impact. You may currently be too injured to return to your job, and you may not be able to work for months or years. You are likely in great pain and could be living with a disability that limits your ability to take care of yourself and your children.
If you are in this situation, you may have thought about pursuing a personal injury claim, but you might not know where to start. Your first move should be to consult a personal injury attorney who handles auto accident claims, such as the attorneys at Anderson, Moschetti & Taffany, PLLC