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How does Snapchat contribute to danger on the road?

Across the country, personal injury attorneys are beginning to ask their clients if the car accidents in which they were injured may have involved Snapchat. Press releases and blogs are increasingly pointing out the dangers of the app’s speed filter feature which tracks how fast an individual is traveling while taking a selfie. What makes Snapchat photos even more dangerous than other electronic images is that Snapchat photos and videos disappear immediately after viewing, so they demand immediate and complete concentration.

If you are driving and view a Snapchat picture, you are momentarily completely distracted, and, we all know (or should know) it takes only a moment for a serious accident to occur, one in which drivers or pedestrians suffer severe injuries or wrongful death.

Only a few weeks ago, a Georgia resident sued Snapchat and the young driver viewing the device for a car crash that left him with serious brain injuries.

What is being done to protect consumers from unscrupulous auto lenders?

For many individuals and families, having a car is essential to holding a job, making a living, and taking care of their responsibilities. In most cases, having a safe and reliable car requires obtaining financing from an auto lender, but many consumers become the targets of unfair and deceptive practices which are prohibited by state and federal laws.

Recently, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued separate reports regarding apparent deceptive the practices of auto lenders and complaints made to the bureau about leasing and lending practices .

The consumer watchdog found that advertisements by some lenders for GAP coverage, as well as disclosures regarding payment deferral terms, were deceptive. GAP coverage is designed to cover the remaining balance on an auto loan if a car is totaled, however this coverage typically has loan-to-value limit.

Many of us have been guilty of it. We’re heading down the highway at 70 mph, and our phone dings — a text. We know that we shouldn’t, but what if it’s work (or the kids, our significant other or the babysitter)? So we grab the phone, glance down at it quickly, then back up at the road. Maybe we shoot off a quick answer; even a short “yes,” “no” or “LOL.” If we are lucky, nothing terrible results.

Car accidents are unfortunately one of the leading causes of death in the United States. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reports that the highest rates of crashes by population occur when the drivers are between the ages of 16 and 17.

Is it illegal to text and drive in Texas?

While most other states have had a ban on texting and driving in place for years, Texas has just recently adopted such a measure.  Texting while driving is known to be incredibly dangerous, not just for the texting driver, but for all other road users as well.  According to the National Safety Council, an estimated 1,600,000 accidents are caused by texting each year, resulting in over 330,000 injuries and thousands of deaths.  Texting while driving makes you 23 times more likely to crash.  Yet despite widespread knowledge of the dangers of distracted driving, drivers of all ages continue to engage in this hazardous behavior.

Is it illegal to eat and drive in Texas?

Eating while driving is an often unrecognized danger for drivers across Texas and the rest of the nation. While most of us realize that texting and driving is illegal and hazardous, we may not be aware that we can put ourselves and others in immense danger by attempting to eat and drive.  Distracted driving is said to be the cause of about a quarter of all car accidents, but many believe the true figure is far higher due to difficulties in identifying distracted drivers.  Before you eat while driving again, take a look at some frightening facts about eating and driving below.  If you or a loved one is injured in a distracted driving car accident…