Millennials Riskiest Drivers of All, reports AAA

American Automobile Association (AAA) released a report last month saying that young, millennial drivers exhibit the riskiest driving behavior of all age groups, by far. In fact, 88% of the 19-24-year-old’s polled admitted to at least one “risky driving behavior” in the last month. Witness the recent crash in Texas that killed 13 people. The driver who caused the crash, a 20-year-old, admit

ted to texting while driving prior to the crash. In addition to texting while driving, other risky, or negligent, driving behaviors are talking on a cell phone, eating, drinking, putting on makeup, turning to chat with passengers, fiddling with the radio- anything that takes a driver’s full attention away from the road. A scary finding? We, at Tapalian Law, say yes. Unfortunately, we have seen the repercussions of the types of car accidents that can be caused by a negligent driver and the impact a serious car accident can have on the victim. Results of a car accident caused by risky, or negligent, driving practices can be deadly, or cause catastrophic injuries with life-long results.

Rhode Island drivers have the responsibility to not cause harm to others. When a driver breaches this “duty of care” by performing acts that may be a distraction such as texting, emailing, applying makeup while driving, then the driver at fault may be considered negligent. A person injured by a negligent driver should contact a RI personal injury attorney immediately after a car accident. An experienced car accident lawyer in RI will guide you every step of the way to help you recover the damages that you incurred from a negligent driver.

Rhode Island Cell Phone Laws

Texting while driving is banned in RI, while using a cell phone while driving is a ticket able offense for both drivers under the age of 18 and school bus drivers. Massachusetts also has a similar law. Massachusetts banned texting while driving in 2010 and drivers under the age of 18 are not allowed to use a cell phone in any manner while driving. In fact, 46 states have banned texting while driving. Laws for other types of cell phone usage vary from state to state. Safety precautions like this are positive but of course will not stop these acts from occurring. According to AAA, in 2015 traffic deaths in the United States rose more than 7 percent, the highest single-year increase in more than 50 years. Some of this is blamed on distracted driving. Despite automobile manufacturers continually rolling out more advanced safety features, this can’t take the place of safe driving practices. Even though awareness about distracted driving has been brought to light more in the past few years, driver behavior still has not changed that much despite the efforts.

Millennials Have False Confidence

Millennials have grown up with technology including cell phones, tablets, even navigation systems, and for most, it is part of their everyday lifestyle. However, this tech-savvy lifestyle becomes problematic when accompanied by driving a car. Biologically, young adults and teens are still immature and have a false sense of confidence. Teens take more risks, and think nothing bad will happen to them. Or “bad things happen to other people, not me”. In addition to using technology while driving, drivers ages 19-24 tend to have more lax driving habits and are more likely to roll through stop signs, run red lights, and speed. Coupled with technology, this is a surefire recipe for a disastrous, or deadly, car accident. If you are driving in RI and see a distracted vehicle operator, here are steps to take if you spot a negligent or distracted driver.

If you have been hurt in a car accident caused by a driver talking on their cell phone, texting, emailing, or another similar distracting behavior, you need to take immediate action to protect your rights and contact a personal injury lawyer. Contact a RI car accident lawyer like David Tapalian, who will explain to you step by step, what actions to take after you have been injured. Tapalian Law will work with you throughout the entire legal process guiding you and instructing you along the way. If you have lost a family member in a car accident, you or another family member may be eligible to file a wrongful death lawsuit. Call Tapalian Law at 401-552-5000 for a free legal consultation and free case evaluation. You may also use our online contact form to ask a question or contact our office. Our law firm represents clients throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts. If you cannot come to us, we will come to you!