The Colorado State Patrol is taking a humorous approach to stopping dangerous driving diversions with it’s “Get Your Head out of Your Apps,” ad campaign. The ads target drivers who, despite the dangers, continue to talk, text, tweet, and post when they should be concentrating solely on operating their vehicle safely. The new campaign was launched on the heels of a two-year period in which Colorado witnessed 40,000 distracted driving collisions.
Colorado law prohibits motorists under the age of 18 from using a phone for any purpose while driving. All other drivers are restricted from “texting or entering other data into a phone” while driving. These laws apply to drivers stopped at traffic lights as well.
While many people fail to see the harm in sneaking a peek at a text message while driving, the truth about distracted driving is alarming. It takes an average of 4.6 seconds to read a text message. In that amount of time, a vehicle traveling at 55 mph, could cover the length of a football field without the driver ever having his or her eyes on the road.
According to the Colorado-based organization, textinganddrivingsafely.com, texting increases a driver’s odds of crashing by as much as 23 times. The seemingly innocent act of reaching for your phone increases your risk of being in an accident 1.4 times.
Another staunch advocate of ending distracted driving tragedies is Oprah Winfrey. She implemented her “no phone zone” in 2010, and regularly implores guests and audience members to take the pledge. Her pledge reads, “I pledge to make my car a No Phone Zone. Beginning right now, I will do my part to help put an end to distracted driving by not texting or using my phone while I am driving. I will ask other drivers I know to do the same. I pledge to make a difference.”
Further Reading: Distinguishing Between PTSD and TBI Using Brain Scans
The official government website dedicated to distracted driving, distraction.gov, reports a disturbing piece of information on their homepage: 3,154 people were killed in distracted driving accidents nationwide in 2013. They too, have a pledge which can be downloaded and signed which states, “One text or call could WRECK it all.”
The Governors Highway Safety Administration reports that, currently, no states implement comprehensive cell phone bans for all drivers. Washington was the first state to ban texting for all drivers in 2007, and all but four states have followed suit.
An AT&T study recently disclosed that 40% of drivers use social media while behind the wheel, and the problem of enticing electronic distractions just seems to be getting bigger. Cell phones are ever-present, and new gadgets are constantly being introduced. The statistics, however, don’t lie- distracted driving is deadly, and no conversation, text, or status update is worth a life.
If you have been injured by a distracted driver, it is important to understand all the issues you may face. Insurance companies will try anything to reduce their liabilities – that’s why you need us on your side. At Hull & Zimmerman, P.C., our committed personal injury lawyers are dedicated to the belief that everyone deserves justice. Contact us at (303) 423-1770 or (866) 385-3505.
Our personal injury lawyers have extensive experience representing injured accident victims in Broomfield, Arvada, Superior, Lafayette, Louisville, Erie, Brighton, Commerce City, Northglenn, Westminster, Thornton, Longmont, and throughout Colorado.
At Hull & Zimmerman, P.C., we are honored to help accident victims in their time of need, and take our responsibility as personal injury lawyers incredibly seriously. We know how important it is for victims to secure the full and fair compensation they need following a serious accident, and that is why we take a hands-on, personalized approach to every case we handle.
awarded to a woman who was a victim of a car crash. The woman was driving the highway when the other driver approaching from the opposite direction lost control of his vehicle, crossed the center line and hit her head on. She suffered multiple broken bones, including her hip, pelvis, leg, and right arm. She missed several years of work as a result of her injuries. Read More
awarded to a woman who was the victim of a t-bone car crash. The client suffered multiple injuries. The most significant of which was a head injury. While she was ultimately able to return to work on a part-time basis, Plaintiff was never able to return to work on a full-time basis. Read More
settlement awarded to a lady who suffered a head injury. She slipped and fell in a slanted parking lot at her place of employment. Evidence demonstrated that the owner of the building had constructed a fence shading the parking lot such that ice was allowed to continuously accumulate during the winter months. Multiple people had fallen on the ice prior to the client’s fall. As a result of her injuries, Plaintiff was forced to take early retirement. Read More
awarded to a man whose vehicle was hit from behind by a semi. The injured party suffered back pain and rotator cuff tears in each shoulder and was forced to retire from his job doing road repair four years earlier. Read More
settlement (policy limits) awarded to a young man who lost his eye when another child shot an arrow into the air. Read More
settlement obtained for a man who was injured in a rear end automobile accident. He suffered a herniated disc in his low back which was not well resolved by surgery forcing him to leave his employment as an apartment maintenance manager. Read More
awarded to a gentleman in association with a workman’s compensation case. He initially sustained a head injury at work when attacked by a patient. Several years later, his condition worsened resulting in his inability to return to work in his usual job. Read More
settlement achieved in a legal malpractice case. The client initially suffered a herniated disc in her neck in association with an automobile accident. The attorney failed to file the lawsuit in a timely manner and the Plaintiff was initially denied her ability to achieve any monies from the original lawsuit. Read More
settlement awarded to a man who was a victim of an automobile accident. Plaintiff was a passenger who was rear-ended by another driver. Following the accident, he suffered a long term back injury. Read More
settlement awarded to a lady who aggravated a pre-existing back condition when she slipped and fell at the entrance to a casino. Read More
awarded to a woman who suffered a rotator cuff tear from an automobile accident. Read More
$1,250,000.00 –awarded to a woman who was a victim of a car crash. The woman was driving the highway when the other driver approaching from the opposite direction lost control of his vehicle, crossed the center line and hit her head on. She suffered multiple broken bones, including her hip, pelvis, leg, and right arm. She missed several years of work as a result of her injuries.
$1,200.000.00 –awarded to a woman who was the victim of a t-bone car crash. The client suffered multiple injuries. The most significant of which was a head injury. While she was ultimately able to return to work on a part-time basis, Plaintiff was never able to return to work on a full-time basis.
$450,000.00 –settlement awarded to a lady who suffered a head injury. She slipped and fell in a slanted parking lot at her place of employment. Evidence demonstrated that the owner of the building had constructed a fence shading the parking lot such that ice was allowed to continuously accumulate during the winter months. Multiple people had fallen on the ice prior to the client’s fall. As a result of her injuries, Plaintiff was forced to take early retirement.
$425,000 –awarded to a man whose vehicle was hit from behind by a semi. The injured party suffered back pain and rotator cuff tears in each shoulder and was forced to retire from his job doing road repair four years earlier.
$300,000.00 –settlement (policy limits) awarded to a young man who lost his eye when another child shot an arrow into the air.
$300,000.00 –settlement obtained for a man who was injured in a rear end automobile accident. He suffered a herniated disc in his low back which was not well resolved by surgery forcing him to leave his employment as an apartment maintenance manager.
$250,000.00 –awarded to a gentleman in association with a workman’s compensation case. He initially sustained a head injury at work when attacked by a patient. Several years later, his condition worsened resulting in his inability to return to work in his usual job.
$250,000.00 –settlement achieved in a legal malpractice case. The client initially suffered a herniated disc in her neck in association with an automobile accident. The attorney failed to file the lawsuit in a timely manner and the Plaintiff was initially denied her ability to achieve any monies from the original lawsuit.
$150,000.00 –settlement awarded to a man who was a victim of an automobile accident. Plaintiff was a passenger who was rear-ended by another driver. Following the accident, he suffered a long term back injury.
$125,000.00 –settlement awarded to a lady who aggravated a pre-existing back condition when she slipped and fell at the entrance to a casino.
$75,000.00 –awarded to a woman who suffered a rotator cuff tear from an automobile accident.
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to talk to. They made my experience very comfortable through my whole journey.
My heartfelt gratitude goes out to the whole staff at Hull & Zimmerman. Thank
you
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– R. Hamilton
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– D. Hassoun
would
just like to send a “thank you” to you and your staff. You have been the most
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to tell people about the wonderful job you have done for me and my family. Mr.
Zimmerman you are the most professional lawyer and I truly appreciate all you
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I was
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Exceeded expectations!
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addition, he explained certain aspects of Colorado law thoroughly to me so that
I could make an informed decision that best suited my needs.
9:53 pm
August 24th, 2015