Watch The Road – Henderson Police Officers Looking To Cite Distracted Drivers

February 13, 2014

By now, enough has been written, broadcast and said about the dangers of distracted driving that everyone should know that it is problematic and unnecessarily risky. Even though people have been driving while distracted for generations, the problem has either gotten worse or we've begun to pay more attention to it as a society since cell phones became so prevalent. It's probably a bit of both. Regardless, studies have been done, statistics have been recorded and laws have been enacted that have related to distracted driving and limited the use of cell phones and hand-held devices while behind the wheels of vehicles in recent years. Unfortunately, for many people these cell phone laws are taken about as seriously as speeding laws - they are followed when convenient but they are ignored when these drivers' interests are served. Some studies have been done that have shown that the number of car accidents has not changed much since cell phone restriction laws were enacted. One of the big problems associated with this lack of drop-off in crashes is an inability to dedicate resources to enforcing these laws. That will be changing in Henderson through the end of the month. According to an article that can be found here, the Henderson Police Department has identified 10 of the busiest intersections in the city and they plan on deploying plain-clothes officers at them from now through the end of February. If an officer sees a driver violating the distracted driver law with a cell phone, that plain-clothes officer will radio ahead to a marked patrol car to pull that motorist over and to issue a citation. The law provides for fines for anywhere between $50 and $250 in the state. It will be interesting to see how many people are cited over the next couple of weeks. According to the Nevada Department of Transportation, nearly 2,000 car accidents that occur in the state every year list cell phone use as a factor. Many of these happen in Henderson, and the possibility that one could be caught doing so will most likely deter many drivers from tapping away at those little keyboards. Hopefully avoiding the use of these devices will help motorists realize just how much they miss when they are not focusing on the roads. While this effort will likely help bring down the number of people who use these devices for at least the rest of the month, it will obviously not eliminate this problem in Henderson altogether. People who are injured in crashes caused by motorists not paying attention to the road need to take action to protect their own legal rights and interests. The more this is done and the more often distracted drivers are held accountable for their actions, the bigger difference it will make. Hurt in a car accident? If you or someone you love has been harmed by a negligent driver, contact the Las Vegas personal injury lawyers at High Stakes Injury Law today to schedule a free initial consultation.