With a metropolitan area of about 2.8 million inhabitants — we all know that roadway accidents involving cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles are going to happen in greater Baltimore. Some of these collisions are really accidental and others just fender benders, but when someone negligently or recklessly causes a crash that leaves another driver or a passenger, cyclist or pedestrian with serious injury or even results in death, the at-fault driver is liable in a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit for the victim’s injuries and losses.
Factors in Baltimore collisions
On April 5, the Baltimore Post-Examiner published a detailed article that takes a deep dive into the circumstances of Baltimore crashes. Three recurring problems are involved: speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and distracted driving such as operating a motor vehicle while texting.
Some of the data shared by the Post-Examiner:
- Dying in a fatal motor vehicle accident will be the number-seven cause of death for Baltimore residents by 2030.
- Statewide and in Baltimore, crashes are associated with “busy road arteries,” high “population density,” geography, “socio-economic … factors” (like age or gender) and downtown areas.
Distractions behind the wheel
The three kinds of driving distraction are well known: visual, manual (hands) and cognitive (mental). Mobile-phone use, especially the act of texting, dangerously involves all three kinds of distraction. The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, known as MVA, also cites auditory distraction such as listening to music or hearing a voice on a cell phone as a fourth type of driving distraction.
The MVA explains that under Maryland law, it is illegal to use a “handheld” phone behind the wheel, including texting and emailing. Certainly, in a lawsuit brought against a driver fined for this offense after having caused an accident at the same time, the citation would be important evidence of negligent or reckless driving behavior.
