Attorney DeBerard Launches Free Cell Phone Safety Program
"Safety First" Cell Phone Holder for Free
Stuart: Driving and talking on a cell phone at the same time is not illegal in Florida, but it can be dangerous, and it can expose employers to increased liability risks. A safer option is to use a "hands-free" cell phone. To encourage safer driving while talking on a cell phone, the Accident Law Offices of Philip DeBerard has launched the "Safety First" program which provides a free hands-free gel cell phone holder for drivers of all ages.
Each of the gel pads holds a cell phone on the vehicle’s dashboard, so the driver doesn’t have to search for the phone or hold the phone while talking. Anyone who wants a free cell phone pad mailed to them can call 772-288-2887x211 or 1-800-I AM HURT or go to www.flainjurylawyer.com and complete the request form.
According to a recent study from the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA), more than 254 million people had cell phones as of February 2008, up from 4.3 million in 1990. Studies have found that drivers talking on cell phones are slower to react to brake lights, and less likely to keep up with the traffic flow. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, 26 car accident fatalities and 1,364 car accident injuries in Florida involved driver distractions.
"The only safe driver is one who drives defensively at all times," attorney Philip DeBerard said. "And that is totally impossible when searching for or holding a cell phone and trying to drive at the same time. Hands-free talking is safer, but drivers can still become so absorbed in their conversations that their driving is severely impaired, jeopardizing the safety of vehicle occupants and pedestrians."
If a call must be answered while driving, DeBerard advised having the phone on the gel pad where it can easily be found without taking your eyes off the road. "You should memorize the feel of the buttons on your phone, so that you don't have to look down at it to accept or place a call," he said.
Teen drivers probably shouldn’t use cell phones at all when driving, DeBerard warned. "As new, less experienced drivers, they need to be even more focused, and they should be restricted from even using hands-free phones," he said.
DeBerard recommends that employers develop a cell phone policy that requires employees to pull off the road before conducting business by cell phone. This is a lesson a local company learned recently when it had to pay a $1,750,000 settlement won by the Accident Law Offices of Philip DeBerard due to an employee who caused an accident while talking on his cell phone.
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