Minnesota residents looking forward to a joyous holiday season filled with celebrations with family and friends should stop for a moment to consider some of the things that might get in the way of these events. Drunk driving might often get a lot of attention for the danger it presents to innocent people on the road and with good reason. However, it is far and away not the only risk that motorists, passengers and pedestrians must be aware of.
Distracted driving is another serious problem on Minnesota roads. As many as 75 people were killed in accidents caused by distracted drivers in Minnesota in 2015. Furthermore, distracted driving is said to be responsible for 25 percent of the states vehicular crashes each year.
Nationwide, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates that in 2014, more than 430,000 people were injured and more than 3,100 more lost their lives at the hands of people who chose to operate vehicles while not giving all of their attention to the act of driving. Furthermore, distracted driving cost the nation $175 billion in property damage.
People cited for distracted driving in Minnesota may be required to pay a fine but it tends to be a relatively small amount and there are no criminal charges as with a drunk driving offense. Knowing this, it might be helpful to people involved in these crashes to talk with an attorney to learn about their options for receiving compensation for their injuries or for the loss of their loved ones.
Source: SCTimes, "Many die due to distracted drivers," Gary Feld, Nov. 12, 2016