A recent car accident that occurred near Angiers, North Carolina has killed one and seriously injured another driver. The collision occurred around in the early evening when a passenger car collided with an SUV after drifting past the centerline. The point of impact was near Atkins Road.
Candice Michelle Garner, 40, was driving a 1996 Honda passenger car west on Chalybeate Springs Road when her car collided head-on with a 2007 Ford SUV driven by Marie Repine McNeill of Angiers. Garner died at the scene, while McNeill was rushed to Wake Med in Raleigh.
Speed and alcohol were not factors in the accident, and both drivers were wearing seatbelts.
The high cost of distracted driving
According to the CDC, every day an average of eight people are killed in accidents involving a distracted driver. A distraction is any other activity or stimulus that draw your attention away from the tasks of driving, whether it is reading a text, looking into the back seat, taking the hands off the wheel or daydreaming.
Approximately 3,000 deaths in car accidents are the result of distracted driving every year. Many people do not realize that multitasking is a form of distracted driving, whether it is eating a sandwich, adjusting mirrors, picking out music to listen to, or even answering a phone call.
Preventing distracted driving
While there is no ban in North Carolina for holding a phone while driving, texting is banned in the state, and phone use is also banned for drivers younger than 18. Although a texting ban is hard to enforce, the ban itself highlights the need for increased awareness of this problem.
Some states have put rumble strips on highways to help alert distracted, drowsy or inattentive drivers from drifting out of their lanes. Automakers are now installing crash avoidance systems that issue warnings that get the distracted driver’s attention if it detects a potential collision.
When a family faces the traumatic injury or loss of a loved one due to distracted driving, there are options to hold the negligent party responsible. While financial compensation does not restore life or completely heal wounds, it can help in the healing process.