More accidents involving cell phones are being reported. In the last decade, accidents involving cell phone use has increased 86%, according to data from the state.
Legal experts say that stiffer penalties for those found breaking the law could reality.
“Whenever someone gets in an accident, it seems they always say it happened so fast. And the reason it happened so fast is because they weren’t aware of what was about to happen and that could have been from a distraction,” said Richard Boroski, an instructor at the ABC School of Driving told WROC-TV.
They report that in 2009 there were 650 accidents involving cell phones. By the end of 2018 that number reached 1,212.
“The points have definitely continued to get more and more strict at this point. If you get a texting or cell phone conviction your actually looking at the same number of points as a reckless driving ticket, believe it or not which, is 5,” said Adam Rosenblum, founding attorney of Rosenblumlaw told WROC-TV.
For young drivers, Rosenblum says technology surprisingly does not seem to be an issue, as younger drivers were found to get caught speeding more than texting.
All experts agree that accidents are preventable when cell phone use is in the equation.
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