Indiana Distracted Driving Lawyers

Accidents caused by distracted driving claim the lives of thousands of people on the road every year, and more than half of all crashes involving teens are caused by distracted driving. Driving while distracted has reached epic proportions and has quickly become one of the leading causes of car accidents in Indiana and nationwide. At Keffer Hirschauer LLP, our Indiana distracted driving lawyers are in high demand for our experience and attention to detail. We are ready to successfully resolve your auto accident case while you focus on recovering from your injuries.

While you may be a conscientious driver and avoid modern distractions like cellphones, tablets, eating while driving, and other similar activities, you cannot always trust other drivers on the road to behave as responsibly. Unfortunately, many people who are injured in Indiana distracted driving accidents simply cannot avoid the crash because the other driver is not paying attention. When you need the specific skills found in a distracted or texting and driving injury attorney in Indiana, call Keffer Hirschauer LLP.

Trust Our Indiana Distracted Driving Lawyers to Protect Your Rights

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety conducts a national survey on American drivers’ attitudes and behaviors regarding traffic safety. In the latest report, the 2019 Traffic Safety Culture Index reveals that approximately 95 percent of drivers rate reading or sending a text or email on their phone while driving as very dangerous or extremely dangerous. Also, nearly 80 percent of drivers felt talking on a hand-held phone was also very dangerous or extremely dangerous. Nevertheless, 42.3 percent reported talking on their phone, and 30 percent admitted to have sent a text while driving within the previous month.

Distracted driving is still on the rise and more people are suffering an Indiana distracted driving accident injury every year. Most of the drivers polled by AAA supported laws against distracted driving, especially laws that prohibit talking, texting, reading, and sending emails while behind the wheel. Unfortunately, a good percentage of those same people admit they have talked on their phones, texted, and read emails while driving in the 30 days before the poll.

At Keffer Hirschauer LLP, our Indiana distracted driving lawyers have decades of experience helping people who have been injured by others who text and call while driving.

Nationwide Distracted Driving Facts

Statistically, distracted driving is more dangerous and causes more accidents than speeding or driving drunk. A study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ranks distracted driving over speeding, aggressive driving, and even drunk driving as the main factor contributing to crashes and close calls. Research shows that taking your eyes off the road for as little as two seconds doubles the odds of a crash. According to the NHTSA distracted driving study, if you glance away from the road for five seconds while traveling at highway speeds, you will travel the length of a football field without seeing where you are going.

Knowing how many factors can change over 300 feet when you are traveling 55 or 65 miles per hour, it is easy to understand how 80 percent of the crashes studied by the NHTSA involved drivers who looked away from the road just before the accident occurred. Specifically, the NHTSA found that doing any of these tasks can double or triple the chances of a wreck:

Making or receiving a call on a hand-held device
Inserting or taking out a CD or tape
Operating a smartphone
Reading
Applying makeup
Eating

This is a short list, but other driver distractions also lead to accidents and cause severe injuries to other people who are driving carefully but find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Indiana Distracted Driving Categories

Safety experts identify three different categories or types of distractions. These categories include visual distractions, when your eyes are off the road; manual distractions, when your hands are off the wheel; and cognitive distractions when your mind is diverted from the task of driving. Many activities involve more than one type of distraction, and texting is one of the most dangerous activities because it involves all three categories of distraction. According to the Indiana Department of Labor, a texting driver is 23 times more likely to crash than a focused driver. And, as the number and type of distractions increase, the chances of suffering an Indiana distracted driving accident injury increase exponentially.

Sometimes, drivers who cause an accident will deny responsibility. An injured person must prove the other driver’s negligence and liability as a fundamental part of recovering compensation for injuries sustained in a distracted driving case in Indiana. Fortunately, there are ways experienced texting and driving injury attorney in Indiana can show that a driver was distracted before an accident occurred.

Whether we are negotiating a settlement with the insurance company or taking your case to court for a jury verdict, we know many ways to prove distracted driving when it is suspected. For instance, a study of skid marks left on the road can be used to determine whether and when a driver attempted to brake before a crash. Also, a review of a car’s diagnostics or a cellphone’s history can reveal what the driver was doing just prior to the accident. At Keffer Hirschauer LLP, these are just some of the tools we use to provide the best possible legal representation for our clients.

Our Experienced Indiana Distracted Driving Lawyers Know the Law

Indiana has passed laws to address the serious implications that come from distracted driving. In particular, Indiana Code § 9-21-8-59 prohibits a driver from using a cell phone to type, send, or read a text or email unless the driver is using hands-free or voice-operated technology. Drivers under the age of 18 cannot use a cellphone for any reason while driving, even if it is hands-free. There is one exception to these rules—drivers are allowed to use a cell phone to call 911 to report an emergency.

As of July 1, 2020, Indiana enacted a hands-free law that prohibits all drivers from holding a cell phone, tablet, or other electronic devices while driving. The goal is to reduce distracted driving and improve the overall roadway safety throughout the state.

Trust the Top-Rated Distracted Driving Accident Attorneys in Indianapolis

Attorneys Bradley Keffer and Tom Hirschauer are former Fatal Alcohol Crash Team prosecutors in Marion and Tippecanoe Counties. In those roles, they applied specific training to the investigation of the most serious car accidents in Indianapolis and throughout the state. They used the evidence they discovered through their investigations to charge and convict at-fault drivers, proving the driver’s liability to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt.

These investigative skills and courtroom experiences have proven invaluable as Bradley and Tom moved their attention to civil cases, dedicating themselves to helping injury victims get a full and fair amount of compensation for the injuries received in a crash with a negligent or distracted driver.

As the founding partners of Keffer Hirschauer LLP, these two exceptional attorneys have created a personal injury law firm featuring a team of Indiana distracted driving lawyers who focus on helping car accident victims recover compensation for injuries and damages caused by negligent or distracted drivers. It is never too late to contact us for a no-cost consultation if a distracted driver injured you or a member of your family.