Blog Category Texting and Cell Phone Use

Hot summer temperatures mean that more people are outside enjoying activities. Sports, bicycling and even walking are popular near residential areas. Driving can be more hazardous in the summer than you may imagine.

People need to be on the lookout for one another in order for everyone to stay safe. When you slip behind the wheel in Charlotte or elsewhere this summer, keep in mind that you may be seeing more people out and about and this often means altering … Read more

As many drivers know, texting and driving is illegal in North Carolina. Distracted driving causes thousands of injuries and deaths each year, and this law is meant to curb those incidents.

You may have heard that you can only be pulled over for texting and driving if you are seen by an officer to be doing such. For many alert drivers, simply keeping an eye on the road for patrol cars is enough to keep them from getting busted. No … Read more

Since 2009, texting while driving has been illegal in North Carolina, but that did not stop one local woman. On February 8, a Belmont woman was charged with second-degree murder for the death of an elderly Belmont woman, and has been charged with texting while driving and driving while intoxicated, according to WCNC Charlotte. The driver was operating her 1999 GMC Jimmy SUV when she hit a 75 year-old pedestrian with. According to witnesses, the woman was dragged down the … Read more

Recently, an 18 year old Asheville teen dropped his cell phone onto the floor board of his car. As he leaned down to retrieve it, he lost control of his car and plunged his vehicle 150 feet down a sharp slope. He and his 19 year old friend were ejected from the car, causing serious injury to the friend in the passenger’s seat.

Teenage drivers can cause a great amount of stress to their family and the family members of … Read more

It is well established that talking on the phone or texting is a major distraction to drivers that is dangerous and likely to lead to accidents. As a matter of fact, there have been studies saying that a texting driver is more likely to be involved in an accident than a drunk driver.

Now a study conducted at the University of Washington has revealed that 30% of all pedestrians crossing a street are distracted by some mobile communication device. It … Read more

North Carolina Highway Patrol has found that 16 year old Taylor Clark was texting when she caused a head-on collision, killing 17 year old passenger, Seth Beaver. Clark has been charged with misdemeanor death by a motor vehicle, failing to yield, and texting while driving.

It has been illegal for drivers in North Carolina under the age of 18 to use a cell phone while driving since 2006, and for any driver to text while driving since December 1, 2009, … Read more

An informal study conducted by State Farm Insurance found that nearly 1 out of 5 drivers use the internet while driving. Due to these alarming results, State Farm has expressed plans to conduct a more thorough study later this year.

The director of Auto Technology Research at State Farm, Cindy Garretson, believes these figures to be underestimated. According to Ms. Garretson, the survey respondents were in the mid 30’s age group, but the majority of smart phone users fall … Read more

In our North Carolina Car Accident Attorney Blog, we recently wrote an article, New Approach to Teach Teens Danger of Texting While Driving. In that article, we described a video that was shown to teens participating in the program, illustrating the danger of texting while driving. AAA Carolinas has announced that it will be airing the video over the upcoming July 4th holiday weekend. That video can be seen by clicking here. WARNING: This video is graphic.

… Read more

North Carolina State Highway Patrol Officers acknowledge the difficulty of enforcing North Carolina’s ban on texting while driving. In their efforts to teach teens the danger of texting while driving, troopers are visiting North Carolina high schools with a program designed to deter the illegal act.

The students watch a video that re-enacts a traffic fatality involving a teenage girl texting while driving, and then drifting into oncoming traffic, ultimately killing the occupants of her vehicle, as well as … Read more

North Carolina law prohibits motorists under the age of 18 to use a cellphone, yet a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has found that since the enactment of this law, teen cellphone use in North Carolina has actually increased.

As part of its study, IIHS watched teen drivers as they drove away after school in the afternoon. Before the law went into effect, researchers noted that 11% of teen drivers were using their cellphones as they … Read more