By now, many people have been informed that the average text message takes a driver's eyes off the road for the length of a football field when traveling 55 miles per hour.

While many adults engage in texting while driving, risk factor data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that drivers under the age of 20 have the most fatal crashes involving distracted driving. In fact, in a single month in 2013, 40 percent of student-age drivers sent a text or email while behind the wheel.

Considering the high volume of traffic in L.A. and throughout much of California, each Los Angeles car accident attorney at our firm encourages drivers young and old to consider installing a smart phone app that can help prevent needless accidents caused by texting while driving.

Smart Phones Become Smarter When They Save Lives

The same technology that allows smart phones to map out travel directions actually enables phones to do much more. According to Consumer Reports, a number of cell phone companies now offer free apps that help prevent drivers from engaging in any number of smart phone activities. While each app has its own unique features, they generally work as follows:

• Most of the apps activate automatically when vehicles reach a specified speed.
• Even at relatively low speeds, they disable a phone's texting features. Some apps fully disable the phone to prevent talking as well as texting.
• Anyone who sends a text message to a driver automatically receives a message that informs them that they should not expect an immediate response.
• Additional features allow parents to monitor the driving and texting activities of their children.

Even though all wireless companies do not offer free apps like these, they are available for free or purchase for both Apple and Android phones. In fact, depending on the price drivers want to pay, some systems maintain records of a driver’s safe-driving behaviors. It is sometimes possible to accrue safe-driving points that earn rewards.

At Any Age, Needless Injuries and Fatalities are Tragic

There are good reasons why, with a few exceptions, California provisional restrictions prohibit drivers younger than 18 years old from any type of cell phone use while operating a vehicle. Still, in spite of more experience, adult drivers who use phones are more likely to be involved in accidents, even when they operate their phones in hands-free mode.

Regardless of the type of distraction that leads to the injury of innocent victims, the attorneys at The Rudman Law Firm are dedicated to enlisting the use of all resources necessary to help identify and prove liability. To learn how we can assist after an accident, call us at (844) 478-3626 / (844) 4RUDMAN, at our Los Angeles office at (213) 375-3777 or at our Studio City office (818) 769-6969.