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New NHTSA Guidelines Aimed at Distracted Driving

driver using cellphoneA new set of guidelines has been released to prevent cellphone use and other forms of distracted driving by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

With the holiday season underway, millions of people will choose driving as their method of traveling, which increases the risk of fatal auto accidents caused by distracted driving.

In a 2011 study conducted by the Centers of Disease Control (CDC), 69 percent of American drivers ranging from 18 to 64-years-old admitted to talking on their cellphones while driving.This number is significantly higher than those in the U.K., where only 21 percent of drivers report using a cellphone while driving.

Increasing incidents of distracted driving has led to a rise in traffic fatalities, with 3,154 fatalities and an estimated 424,000 injuries caused by distracted driving in 2013 and nearly one-in-five, or 18 percent, of crashes caused by a distracted driver.

The new guidelines released by the NHTSA encourage the use of portable electronic devices that minimize driver distraction. Technology such as pairing features that enable a portable devices to be linked to the vehicles infotainment system are expected to enable a driver to focus more on the road.

The NHTSA is also informing drivers of how to identify when they are being distracted while behind the wheel. The three actions that identify distracted driving are:

  • Removing one or both of your hands from the wheel
  • Redirecting your focus away from the act of driving
  • Diverting your eyes away from the road

By promoting new guidelines to prevent distracted driving, the NHTSA is hoping to encourage drivers to preset their destination before beginning their trip, increase seat belt use and minimize cellphone use to prevent further injury and death.

Distracted driving is a problem that presents a danger to every motorist on the road. If you have been injured or lost a loved one in an accident due to a distracted driver, contact the car accident attorneys at the Phillips Law Group. We will provide you with a free compensation to determine if you are entitled compensation and provide our services for no charge unless you receive a fair outcome.

Call 1-800-706-3000 or fill out a Free Case Evaluationform today.