New Jersey Injury Attorney Blog

According to a study by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 20 percent of all injury crashes in the United States in the year 2009 involved reports of distracted driving. The Fatality Analysis Reports System (FARS) reports that 5,474 people were killed and approximately 448,000 were injured during that same year as a result of distracted driving accidents. These staggering numbers show just how important it is for New Jersey drivers do their part to avoid driving distracted.

Distracted driving can be visual (not watching the road), manual (not holding the wheel), or cognitive (not thinking about your driving). Therefore the simplest way to avoid driving distracted is to keep your eyes on the road, your hands on the wheel, and your mind focused on the task at hand – driving.

Common forms of distracted driving include cell phone use, eating, drinking, talking to passengers, using a navigation system, changing the radio, and grooming. While these simple activities seem harmless, doing them while driving can result in a serious injury accident. It only takes a moment of distraction for a life-changing accident to occur. All New Jersey drivers would be well advised to keep their cell phone off, stay focused and not drive while fatigued, stressed, or emotional.

Remember, distracted driving is negligent driving. If you or a loved one has been injured by a distracted driver, the experienced New Jersey distracted driving accident injury lawyers at Lependorf & Silverstein can help. We will work diligently to secure fair and full compensation for all your losses and hold the at-fault driver accountable. Please contact us today at (609) 240-0040 for a no-cost consultation and a comprehensive evaluation of your potential claim.

It is common for teenage drivers to become distracted. To help prevent dangerous situations that could arise from such distractions, New Jersey's young drivers law prevents young drivers from having more than one passenger in their car. The way this law is enforced has come into focus following a tragic New Jersey car accident involving several teenagers.

Four teenagers were killed in a New Jersey traffic accident involving a driver on a restricted license. According to The Associated Press, the fatal crash occurred when a 17-year-old driver of an SUV was unable to slow down for stopped vehicles. The driver and three out of seven passengers were killed in the crash. Under the young drivers law, the motorist should have only had one passenger in the vehicle. We are left to speculate if this crash would have occurred had the driver not had the distraction of seven teenage passengers in the vehicle.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group.” Approximately eight teens between the ages of 16 and 19 were killed every day in a car crash. About 3,000 teens were killed in United States car accidents and more than 350,000 were treated for car accident related injuries in the year 2009.

The experienced Princeton distracted driver accident lawyers at Lependorf & Silverstein help young victims and their families pursue financial compensation for the losses they have suffered in New Jersey car accidents. To discuss your legal rights and options at no cost, call our offices at 609-240-0040 right away.

Distracted driving is a serious problem in New Jersey and across the nation. Examples of distracted driving include text messaging, eating, reading, making a phone call, or fiddling with stereo while driving. Perhaps the best way to lessen your chances of being involved in a distracted driving car accident is to make sure that you are focused on the roadway at all times. Anytime you take your eyes off the road, take your hands off the steering wheel, or take your attention away from driving, you are putting yourself and others on the road at great risk.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 20 percent of all injury crashes in the year 2009 involved distracted driving accidents. A total of 5,474 people were killed and approximately 448,000 people were injured in distracted driving accidents. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reports that drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into accidents serious enough to injure themselves.

One way officials are trying to decrease the number of cell phone-related accidents in New Jersey is through citations. Currently, the New Jersey one of only eight states that prohibit all drivers from using handheld devices while driving. Drivers who wish to make a phone call are required to pull over before using their phone. However, cell phone use is not the only form a distracted driving that can prove dangerous. The New Jersey Department of Law & Public Safety also warns drivers against applying makeup, tending to children, eating, drinking, and talking to other passengers while behind the wheel.

Distracted driving is negligent driving. Victims of accidents caused by distracted drivers may pursue financial compensation by filing a personal injury claim. The experienced Princeton car accident lawyers at Lependorf & Silverstein know how to hold distracted drivers accountable for the accidents and injuries they cause. Call our law offices today at 609-240-0040 for a free consultation if a distracted motorist in New Jersey has injured you or a loved one.

Distracted driving is a serious problem in New Jersey. Drivers looking at a cell phone to make a call or send a text message are more likely to cause an accident because their eyes and attention are not on the roadway. New Jersey law enforcement is doing their part to cite drivers who use their cell phones without a hands-free device, but this is not a strong enough deterrent to stop all New Jersey cell phone car accidents. If you have been injured by a negligent driver in a New Jersey car accident, you may be able to pursue financial compensation for the damages suffered in the crash.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that up to 25 percent of all police-reported vehicle accidents involve a driver who was distracted. Since March 1, 2008, it has been a primary offense in New Jersey to use a cell phone without a hands free device. This means that an officer may pull you over for using your phone to make a call or send a text and, consequently, give you a $100 citation.

If you have been injured in a car accident caused by an inattentive driver, you could seek compensation from the at-fault driver for injuries, damages and losses you have sustained. Proving that the at-fault driver was distracted would require a skilled personal injury attorney. A knowledgeable lawyer can use eyewitness accounts, police reports and cell phone records to prove that a driver was using a cell phone at the time of an accident.

The Princeton cell phone accident lawyers at Lependorf & Silverstein help their clients receive compensation for losses such as medical bills, pain, suffering and lost wages. Call our offices at 609-240-0040 for a free consultation and comprehensive case evaluation.

New Jersey Senator Dick Codey has sponsored a bill that if passed, will increase penalties for those who text and drive in the Garden State. According to NJ.com, those who are caught texting while driving for the first time will face a $200 fine. A second offense could result in a $400 fine and a third offense would cost the violator $600. This increase in penalty is a direct response to the ever-increasing number of car accidents in New Jersey that involve distracted driving.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 6,000 people were killed and over half a million people were injured as a result of car accidents caused by distracted drivers in the United States in 2008. New Jersey is trying to crack down on distracted driving by having a goal to issue about 10,000 tickets for distracted driving each month.

Drivers who choose to text and drive put everyone on the road at great risk. Distracted driving is a form of negligence. Anyone who causes a car accident because they were texting or talking on a hand-held phone can be held civilly liable for the damages that result from an accident they cause. Injured victims can seek compensation for medical expenses, loss of wages, and vehicle damage, and more.

The skilled personal injury attorneys at Lependorf & Silverstein have an excellent track record of protecting the rights of injured victims and their families and ensuring that the at-fault parties are held civilly responsible for the damages in a court of law. If you have been injured in an accident caused by a distracted driver in New Jersey, please contact our Princeton car accident lawyers today at 609-240-0040 for a free and comprehensive consultation.