November 5, 2014

South Carolina’s $600 Million Problem

Texting-Injuries-Cost1.jpg South Carolina’s $600 Million Problem.

Cell phone use while driving costs American’s $43,000,000,000.00 (that’s $43 Billion) in annual losses, says Harvard University. To put that number in context, the trade deficit in September was $43 Billion dollars. That means, texting drivers rack up $3.58 Billion in losses every single month.

South Carolina’s share of annual distracted driving losses is $636 Million per year or $53 Million per month. I’ve written about the dangers of texting while driving before. Additionally, I’ve explained why South Carolina’s texting ban is worthless.

What we know is that twenty five percent of all crashes involve cell phone use; that texting while driving doubles reaction time; that distracted driving may contribute up to twenty percent of all fatal crashes; and that distracted driving causes over 330,000 injuries every year.

The damage, injuries, and deaths are horrifying. Additionally, the dollar figures are astonishing. What makes the numbers more staggering is that crashes due to distracted driving are completely preventable. South Carolina could decide tomorrow to become $600 Million Dollars richer by just putting down the cell phone.

Brian R. Murphy is a South Carolina personal injury and car accident lawyer. His law firm helps people who have been hurt by the negligence and recklessness of others. He believes that safety rule violators should take personal responsibility and pay for the harm they cause. Brian’s firm is dedicated to promoting and pursuing justice for the injured. For more information, visit the firm online at www.brianmurphylawyer.com