A new radar gun may help police to fight against texting while driving car accidents. CNET recently reported on a new tool that can help prevent and stop drivers from texting when behind the wheel. A company called ComSonics is currently developing a radar gun that can pick up radio frequencies that identifies drivers who are texting. Interestingly, this new technology can apparently distinguish between voice calls and texting. This new technology would function very similar to a radar gun. The new radar gun will need to be approved by the legislature prior to any law enforcement agencies being able to use the new device. Legislative approval would be needed before the device could be used by law enforcement. Several concerns that will likely need to be addressed prior to the device’s approval include how this device can differentiate between a driver that is texting versus a passenger in the car that is legally permitted to be texting. Privacy concerns are also anticipated to be an impediment to getting the device approved.
Distracted driving, which commonly includes texting while driving, is a big problem and a common cause of car accidents. According to the National Highway Safety Administration in 2011, 3,331 people were killed in car accidents involving a distracted driver, compared to 3,267 in 2010. An additional, 387,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted driving as a known cause. Another troubling statistic published on their distraction.gov website is that as of December 2012, 171.3 billion text messages were sent in the United States each month.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a car accident because a driver in Southern California failed to give driving the attention it demands, our car accident attorneys can help. Call a distracted driving attorney in San Diego, Riverside, or Temecula at Martinez & Schill LLP to arrange a consultation with our experienced auto accident lawyers. 619-512-5995 or 951-200-4630.