Distracted Driving Incidents in School Zones

Distracted driving is a serious problem. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that distracted drivers injured nearly 400,000 people in 2015. These injuries can happen anywhere, but distracted drivers are especially dangerous in areas where there are a lot of pedestrians, such as school zones. Sadly, a new survey conducted by Friday Night Live reveals that distracted driving incidents are very common in school zones throughout California.

The survey was conducted in early October at 88 intersections located near middle or high schools in 30 different California counties. The members of Friday Night Live were looking for drivers who were talking or texting on their cell phones, eating, drinking, applying makeup, or engaging in any other type of activity that could be considered distracting. All of the data was collected right around regular school hours, which means there were a lot of cars and pedestrians on the roads.

Researchers recorded 10,252 incidents of distracted driving in a little over one hour at the 88 intersections that were studied. This means there were an average of 116.5 distracted driving incidents per intersection, which is almost two incidents per minute. These results show that pedestrians and drivers traveling through school zones are in danger of being injured by drivers who aren’t paying attention to the road.

The Friday Night Live organization conducted a similar study in 2016, but researchers collected data from a greater number of intersections last year. In 2016, Friday Night Live recorded 12,852 incidents of distracted driving at 119 intersections throughout the state. This means there were an average of 108 distracted driving incidents per intersection, which is slightly less than the average of 116.5 incidents per intersection that were recorded this year.

How can you keep your kids safe while traveling through a school zone? If your kids walk to school, make sure they know never to assume that a driver approaching an intersection will stop. It’s best to wait for the driver to completely stop before walking across the street. It’s also important to stay aware of your surroundings at all times, regardless of whether you are walking or driving through a school zone. Be on the lookout for drivers that are weaving in and out of their lane, changing speeds, or coming to abrupt stops for no reason. These are all signs that the driver is distracted-and dangerous.

Have you been injured by a distracted driver? If so, contact personal injury attorney James Rush at Rush Injury Law right away. James Rush will fight tirelessly to recover the compensation that you deserve for your injuries. Contact our office by calling 415-897-4801 or filling out the online form on our website www.rushinjurylaw.com to request a free consultation.