February 23, 2012

A Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, woman is using the loss of her sister in a distracted driving accident as an example of the dangers of not paying attention to the road while driving. According to an article released by NBC-10 Philadelphia, the woman has recently been speaking with local high school students on the subject.

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that the majority of distracted drivers are 20 years old or younger. Of all drivers within that age group who were involved in fatal crashes, 16% were reported to have been distracted while driving.

The woman tells students the story of how her then 28-year-old sister, who was also nine-months pregnant with her second child at the time, was driving home from a doctor’s office on Pitman-Downer Road in Washington Township, Pennsylvania, when she was struck by another vehicle. A 21-year-old man who was distracted by his cellphone hit her head-on after he veered into her lane.

In addition to her speaking engagements, she and her family lobby for changes in legislation that would make the penalties for causing a distracted driving accident the same as those for drunk drivers.

The Philadelphia Distracted Driving Accident Lawyers with Lundy Law hope that we can all learn to put our phones down while behind the wheel. Causing an accident that leads to loss of life or serious injuries to answer a phone call or text message is never worth it.