The Numbers Behind Pasadena’s Heightened Anti-Texting Penalties
Posted on August 19, 2013 Written By: iadminlaw
Monday marks the beginning of a new effort by the Pasadena police effort to crack down on drivers who are texting or using a handheld cellphone while driving.
Pasadena Police Chief Phillip L. Sanchez said officials are going to start issuing citations in order to educate the community about the dangers—to the perpetrator and surrounding drivers—of using a cellphone while driving.
The first cellphone violation will cost $161 and the second violation will cost $285.
Sanchez told City News Service “We all know that talking on our cellphones while driving is distracting, but that doesn’t stop some people from continuing to do it. We hope people realize the danger involved and change their driving habits to help protect themselves, their families, and others on the road.”
Police urge drivers to turn their cellphones off while driving or store them out of reach until they reach their destinations.
Do you want to know what is prompting many cities to take such strict stances against texting while driving? Here are some statistics from textinganddrivingsafety.com.
– In 2011, at least 23% of auto collisions involved cell phones… that is 1.3 million crashes.
– 5 seconds is the minimal amount of time your attention is taken away from the road when you’re driving and texting and driving. If you’re traveling at 55mph, this equals driving the length of a football field without looking at the road.
– With the longest eyes-off-the-road time of all distracted driving activities, text messaging makes a crash up to 23 times more likely.
- Dialing increases the risk of crash by 2.8 times.
- Talking or listening increases the risk of crash by 1.3 times.
- Reaching for a device increases the risk of trash by 1.4 times.
Cellphones are a tremendous hazard on the road, and by putting yours away you are increasing your chances of staying accident free, in addition to those of your passengers and other drivers.
Until all drivers make this a priority, however, texting-related accidents are still a threat. If you or a loved one has been the victim of cellphone-related automobile accident, you deserve remuneration for your psychological and physical distress. Waste no time in contacting a top Los Angeles car accident law firm. iAccidentLawyer provides you with the lawyer who ensures that you are aptly compensated. You will have peace of mind knowing that one of the nation’s best car accident attorneys is on your team.
