It is fair to say that most drivers in the United States understand the dangers associated with using a mobile device while operating a vehicle. However, despite the well-known dangers of distracted driving, motorists continue to reach for their phones while driving. In response to the growing concern of distracted drivers, Maine enacted distracted driving laws that carry significant penalties. Additionally, those who have suffered injuries in an accident with a distracted driver may pursue a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver.
Texting and driving are responsible for nearly 400,000 traffic accident deaths every year in the country. Although drivers of all ages engage in this risky behavior, teenage drivers are more likely to cause an accident because of distracted driving. Texting and driving is a somewhat recent phenomenon, but the concept of distracted driving predates mobile devices. Historically distracted driving involved cases where the at-fault driver was changing the radio, conversing with a passenger in the back seat, eating, or putting on makeup. However, those actions are nowhere near as deadly as texting and driving.
Texting and the need to respond quickly can be a compulsion that requires a driver’s visual, gross motor, and cognitive attention. A texting driver uses all of those skills on texting instead of paying attention to the roadway. Maine’s distracted driving statute focuses primarily on novice drivers and a ban on texting for all motorists. The law prohibits teenage drivers from interacting with a cell phone or handheld device while driving a vehicle. Those who fail to abide by this law risk causing a serious accident.