Do not read this while driving

Teenagers do it in cars. So do moms and dads. And so, too, do grandmothers and grandfathers, truckers and pizza delivery guys. It seems that anywhere you go in Portland, you can see people talking on their phones while driving.

There are other forms of distracted driving, of course. You might have noticed people who gaze at themselves in the rear-view mirror, adjusting their hair. And then there are those paying more attention to the meal they’re enjoying while they drive than the road and traffic surrounding them. Others are fiddling with GPS systems, the radio or a tablet.

Statistics show clearly that these people are not amusing eccentrics; they are real dangers to the rest of us. In 2012, car accidents involving distracted drivers took the lives of nearly 10 people per day around the nation!

The numbers don’t lie. Distracted drivers are killing themselves and taking the lives of others.

• Distracted drivers are statistically more likely to be young: the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says 27 percent of the distracted drivers in fatal crashes are people in their 20s.
• According to a survey by the NHTSA, at any given moment there are about 660,000 people using their phone or other electronic devices while driving during daytime.
• According to a university study, about one out of every four teenagers responds to at least one text message every time they get behind the wheel of a vehicle.
• Ten percent of adults admitted that they engage in multiple-text exchanges while they’re driving.

The physical and emotional damage done in car accidents caused by distracted driving is immense. Accident injury victims should discuss compensation options with an experienced attorney.