Man Drives Off The Road While Texting and Doesn’t Receive Ticket

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I know that I have said this before but distracted driving accidents are probably the easiest avoided accidents that happen. As a Seattle car accident attorney I see the traumatic effects of accidents due to distracted driving every single day and yet people continue to do it. Drivers have enough to focus on without the added use of a cell phone, but it doesn’t seem to matter how many people suffer from personal injuries or even die, distracted drivers keep on texting.

Within 20 days of enforcing the new distracted driving law, Washington Stat e P a t ro l issued over 670 citations for cell phone use and texting violations. But did you know that you could get pulled over by a police officer for speeding, admit to them that you were texting and they couldn’t give you a ticket unless they actually saw you doing it? A few days ago a Poulsbo man drove his car off the road and into a tree on Bond Road, midway between SR 305 and Lindving Way. His car ended up rolling down a steep embankment and crashing into a tree, afterwards the driver, who was uninjured, got out of his vehicle climbed up the hill and walked home. The car was found two days later and when police contacted the driver to find out what happened, he told them that he was texting when it happened.

Since the accident didn’t cause any injuries and didn’t damage anyone else’s property it wasn’t illegal for the driver to leave the scene of the accident. But the part that upsets me is that because a police officer didn’t see him texting behind the wheel, he will not receive any type of citation. The only fee he will have to pay is for towing and to get his car out of impound. Distracted driving is a serious problem in the U.S. and even though no one was injured in the accident, the driver admitted guilt and should at least receive a ticket for texting while driving.

Click here to sign my pledge to never text and drive again. One unread text can save hundreds of lives.