​Cars and phones don’t mix

By Erin Tucker

There are roughly 5.5 million car accidents every year in the United States, injuring more than 2.25 million Americans. According to the National Safety Council, car accidents are the leading cause of on- and off-the-job unintentional deaths, killing about 35,000 people every year.

In 2017, however, there were an estimated 40,100 car accident deaths. The cost to society is about $100 billion a year.

One of the leading causes of car wrecks is distracted driving. According to the NSC, at least 27% of those 5.5 million accidents involve cell phone use: 1.2 million from talking on the phone, that’s roughly how many people live in Salt Lake City’s metro area — and a minimum of 341,000 caused by texting, which is about the population of metro Des Moines.

I’ve said all that to say this: DO NOT talk on your cell phone or text while driving!

If you've been injured, and especially if you've lost a loved one because of another driver’s negligence, there’s no amount of money that can return things to the way they were before the accident, but that doesn't mean that a financial settlement is irrelevant. It's money that can be put toward lost wages, medical bills, car repairs or funeral expenses. 

We’re here to help. 

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