• 16
  • November
    2011

Just about every day, you can find a news story about a car accident that occurred somewhere in the U.S. and how it involved the use of a cell phone. Distracted driving has become a cause of great concern in Alabama and the U.S. in recent years because we are all truly beginning to understand the danger that distracted driving presents to our lives.

An Alabama news report recently shared a story about a young woman whose life changed right after she graduated from college. A distracted teen driver ran through a busy intersection while on his cell phone and caused what turned out to be a fatal accident. The young woman lost her parents in the preventable crash, as well as time to the rehabilitation she needed after nearly dying in the crash herself.

According to ABC 32, the car accident occurred when a teen who was using his cell phone failed to stop at a red light. He continued into the intersection, while an 18-wheeler and the surviving victim's cars were crossing. The truck driver tried to move around the distracted driver's vehicle and, in doing so, crashed into the car carrying the young woman and her family.

The victim was at an exciting point in her life when she should have been able to focus on her career path and celebrate her accomplishment of graduating from college. Instead, she has spent the last couple of years mourning the loss of her parents and recovering from the serious injuries she suffered in the wreck.

She has, however, used the accident as a source of inspiration to make positive change. She is speaking out about the dangers of distracted driving. Her experience and loss, after all, do provide perfect examples of why it's crucial that drivers focus on the roads and put down their phones.

To get more drivers to do that, many safe driving advocates suggest that more states need to set harsh laws against distracted driving, including Alabama. Currently, the state does prohibit drivers under 18 and those with restricted licenses from texting and using their cell phones while driving. But a statewide ban is yet to be put in place.

What do you think? Should all Alabama drivers be banned from texting and/or talking on the phone behind the wheel?

Source

ABC 32: "Crash Survivor Urges Cell Phone Laws; Education," Lisa Blackwell, Nov. 14, 2011