A new study of drivers who text message while driving shows that the risk greatly exceeds previous estimates and far surpasses the dangers of other driving distractions.

The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute outfitted the cabs of long-haul trucks with video cameras for 18 months. They measured the amount of time drivers took their eyes from the road to send or receive text messages and found that when the drivers were text messaging, their collision risk was 23 times greater than when not texting.

Compared with other sources of driver distraction, “texting is in its own universe of risk,” said Rich Hanowski, who oversaw the study.

This new study only comfirms what common-sense dictates: texting and driving is extremely dangerous. Sadly, these blatant distractions frequently lead to major car accidents and serious personal injuries in our local communities such as Plano, Allen, and Wylie, TX.

If you have been involved in an auto accident in Wylie, Texas, or the surrounding areas, an experienced-local Texas car accident attorney can help you.  Our car accident lawyers offer free consultations on personal injury cases. If you or someone you know has been injured in a collision, you should contact a Wylie, TX personal injury lawyer immediately so that you will know your legal rights and can seek compensation from the negligent party.  Call our office at (972) 231-5800 for more information and a free consultation.

FRISCO, TX – A Denton County woman and her son were killed last week at the intersection of the Dallas North Tollway and Highway 380 in a tragic car accident in Frisco, Texas.  Frisco police said that the woman’s car was traveling eastbound on Hwy 380 just before 9 a.m. when it collided with the pickup truck, which had been heading west. Traffic on Highway 380 was closed in both directions most of the day during the accident investigation.

Regrettably, fatal and serious personal injury collisions occur every day to residents of our local cities such as Frisco, McKinney, and Allen, Texas.  Many times, car accidents like this happen due to the negligence of a driver who was not paying attention, texting, or even driving while intoxicated.

If you have been involved in an auto accident in McKinney, Frisco, Allen, or the surrounding areas, an experienced-local Frisco personal injury attorney can help you.

Our personal injury lawyers offer free consultations on personal injury cases. If you or someone you know has been injured, you should contact a Collin County personal injury lawyer immediately so that you will know your legal rights and can determine what insurance coverage may be in place to cover damages. Call our office at (972) 231-5800 for more information.

DALLAS, TX – Common sense tells us that driving while using cell phones can cause car accidents.  But now, new evidence suggests that it is a problem as bad a drunk driving.

A study in which some participants were tested while drunk and others while talking on a cell phone showed interesting results.  The motorists who talk on cell phones while driving are as impaired as drunk drivers.  Some of the participants crashed in a virtual vehicle while sober and talking on a cell phone.  None of them crashed while drunk.

The study supports previous research that revealed the dangerous risks of using cell phones–even the hands-free variety–when behind the wheel.  “We found that people are as impaired when they drive and talk on a cell phone as they are when they drive intoxicated at the legal blood-alcohol limit,” said Frank Drews, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Utah.

Previous studies have shown that as many as 2,600 people are killed every year in automobile accidents involving drivers on cell phones.  In surveys, only about 10 percent of drivers admit that they sometimes talk on cell phones while driving.

Near fatal collisions occur every day in the Dallas Ft. Worth Metroplex.  Many cause severe injuries, brain damage, and even death.  Many times, car accidents like this happen due to the negligence of the driver who was talking on a cell phone, texting, or even driving while intoxicated.

If you have been involved in a car accident in Dallas, Texas, or the surrounding areas, an experienced-local personal injury attorney can help you.

Our Accident Injury law firm offers free consultations on personal injury cases. If you or someone you know has been injured, you should contact a Dallas County personal injury lawyer immediately so that you will know your legal rights and can determine what insurance coverage may be in place to cover your medical expenses and lost wages. Call our DFW office at (972) 231-5800 for more information.

FRISCO, TX – Four members of a north Texas family from Frisco, Texas were among those killed in a large chain-reaction freeway accident recently in Oklahoma that left 10 dead.

Shelby Hayes, 35, her husband, Randal Scott Hayes, 38, and their son, Ethan 7, died in the tragic car accident along with Shelby’s mother, Cynthia Olson, 55. The auto wreck was the deadliest in Oklahoma’s history.

The accident was caused when an 18-wheeler suddenly barreled through a line of cars on the highway, killing nine people. The Hayes’ family Hyundai was pinned under the semi.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol said that an earlier automobile accident had stopped traffic when the tractor-trailer slammed into at least three cars at a high rate of speed, pushing them into more vehicles.  Some of the accident victims were pinned in the wreckage for up to nine hours before being freed by firefighters.

A criminal investigation is under way.  There was no indication alcohol was involved, he said.

Sadly, fatal and serious injury collisions occur every day to residents of our local cities such as Frisco, Plano, and Allen.  Many times, car accidents like this happen due to the negligence of a driver who was not paying attention, texting, or even driving while intoxicated.

If you have been involved in an auto accident in Plano, Frisco, Allen, or the surrounding areas, an experienced-local accident injury attorney can help you.

Our Accident Injury law firm offers free consultations on personal injury cases. If you or someone you know has been injured, you should contact a Collin County personal injury lawyer immediately so that you will know your rights and can determine what insurance coverage may be in place to cover damages. Call our Richardson-based office at (972) 231-5800 for more information.