DISTRACTED AND DRUNK DRIVERS CAUSE MANY PERSONAL INJURIES.

Alcohol-Related Accidents Cause Many Serious Injuries and Deaths.

Drunk driving is a serious safety problem.  It causes over 10,000 deaths every year, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control.

Drunk driving is a factor in nearly one-third of all traffic deaths.  Over 10,000 people are killed by drunk drivers every year.

In one year alone, more than one million drivers were arrested for drunk driving.  About one-half of drivers involved in fatal crashes tested at 0.16g/dl which is twice the legal limit in most states.

“Drug Driving” is Also a Problem.

Alcohol is a “drug”.  But drugs other than alcohol are involved in about 16% of motor vehicle crashes. ONe study reports that 13% of weekend and nighttime drivers have marijuana in their system.  Marijuana users are about 25% more likely to be involved in a car accident or motor vehicle crash.

Distracted Driving Can Be As Dangerous as Drunk Driving.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tells us that 10% of all fatal crashes and 15% of personal injury crashes were caused by distracted driving.

Distracted driving is an even bigger problem for younger drivers.  The IIHS reports that fatal crashes are three times greater for drivers under4 the age of 20.  Driver distraction has been found responsible for 58% of teenage crashes.

Traffic  safety experts list the causes of distracted driving to include:

 -Manual distractions where the driver takes hands off the wheel;

In a recent case, the at-fault driver was reaching for a water bottle located on the floor of the passenger side.  In many cases, the at fault driver has taken hands off the wheel to use the cell phone.  In another case, the driver was reaching for M&M candies while driving.

-Visual distractions where the driver take eyes off the roadway;

In many cases where the at-fault driver has taken hands off the wheel, the driver also has taken eyes off the roadway.

-Cognitive distractions where the drivers’s attention is distracted away from the driving task.

Cell Phone Usage Can Cause Impairment Equal to Drunk Driving.

Studies report that drivers are as impaired when they drive using a cell phone as drivers who are legally drunk.  Cell phone drivers are 5.36 times more likely to get into an accideent than drivers who are not distracted. The US Department of Transportation reports that text messaging increases the risk of a crash by 23 times.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that sending or reading a text message can take eyes off the road for as long

The Schmidt Salita Law Team Handles a Wide Variety of Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Claims.

The Schmidt Salita Law Team handles cases involving car accidents, trucking accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian car accidents, and bicycle accidents.  It has many years’ experience in workers , products liability and medical malpractice cases.

The Schmidt Salita Law Team has extensive experience with concussion injuries, traumatic brain injuries, neck and back injuries, whiplash injuries, broken bones, injured joint injuries (knee, hip, shoulder, wrist, ankle, spinal), amputation injuries, and vision and eye injuries.

The Schmidt Salita Team Offers Contingent Fee Arrangements.

The firm offers contingent fee agreements (You don’t pay lawyers fees until you collect and then only as a percentage of the settlement).  It also offers home and hospital visits to clients whose injuries present difficulty in coming to the office.

“PERSONAL INJURY WITH PERSONAL ATTENTION TO EACH CASE”.

The Schmidt Salita Law Team has locations throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as Minnetonka, Maple Grove, Plymouth, Osseo, Anoka, Coon Rapids, Brooklyn Center, Fridley, Blaine, Shoreview, Woodbury, Falcon Heights, Stillwater, Hastings, Cottage Grove, South St. Paul, Apple Valley, Eagan, Burnsville, Savage, Shakopee, Richfield, Bloomington, Chaska, Chanhassen, Edina, Eden Prairie, and Hopkins.