Question – With school starting, what do I tell my kids about traffic danger?

JASON— This year, we are facing a very dangerous situation. Many of our children will be holding a potentially lethal instrument in their hands—an instrument we gave them.

Cell phones can be lifesavers because they can summon help, but they can also cause severe injury. The reason? They distract a driver from safely operating the vehicle. At my law office, the number of distracted driving crashes involving teens is rising.

Here is my advice: Make sure your kids not only know about the Alabama hands-free law and the state’s texting-while-driving law but also understand the importance of these laws. Yes, the driver can get stopped by law enforcement and given a fine, but much more important is that they are putting their lives in danger by taking their eyes off the road. Even a few seconds of inattention can send them the length of a football field. It is like wearing a blindfold and traveling that distance.

Here is a sobering statistic: Car crashes are the number one cause of death for teens. And if that is not enough to get your teen’s attention, perhaps the cost of an accident will. In Alabama, if a person hits someone because the driver was looking at their phone, the driver could be responsible for all the damages, including medical costs, lost wages, and compensation for pain and suffering. That could easily be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Let me mention those who walk to school. This may shock you, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 5 children killed in traffic accidents were walking. Please review the rules with your children, emphasizing that they must not look at their cell phones while walking.

Let me also suggest you go over bike safety rules. This time, remind your kids that biking and cell phone use do not mix.

Car wrecks in and around Mobile and Baldwin Counties seem to be on the increase. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to call us. The call will cost you nothing. If you or your loved ones are involved in an accident, my advice is to act quickly. As time passes, evidence can easily disappear, and witnesses can become more difficult to locate.

Jason Steele

Personal Injury Attorney in Mobile, AL

Talk to me for free at ( 251) 666-1212.

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