A New Tool for Catching Distracted Drivers
The Hill Law Firm would like to remind everyone that April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Our goal is to see to it that everyone gets to wherever they’re going safely, and we urge everyone to put away their cell phones while they’re driving and make everyone on the road safer.
We all know that the Texas Department of Public Safety, local police departments throughout Texas and all over the country are looking for ways to stop people from texting while driving. Recently, a new tool in the fight against distracted driving has made the news and is under significant scrutiny. It’s called the Textalyzer and, if you have been in an accident, it will tell police whether you were using your smartphone to text someone just before it happened. It’s a new invention by Israeli software company Cellebrite, who is believed to have been the company that helped the FBI break into a terrorist’s cell phone when Apple refused. From law enforcement’s point of view, the Textalyzer works much like a breathalyzer in a DUI case.
As Cellebrite and several state governments see things, the Textalyzer can tell police and prosecutors whether someone was driving while texting, and nothing more. However, some privacy advocates are concerned that the device could possibly give police a lot more information than that, including some they are not entitled to have. Because of this, the device could face a number of court challenges once it’s approved by several states. And that is happening; New York legislators are already considering a bill that would force any driver involved in an accident to give their smartphone over to police for analysis and to penalize anyone who doesn’t. There are signs that the idea is spreading.
Of course, since Texas is one of only four states without a ban on texting and driving, it’s not an issue here, at least not yet. However, at some point, something more has to be done to stop the scourge of distracted driving. Every year, distracted drivers kill or injure thousands of drivers in Texas and that can’t be allowed to stand. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident and you believe the driver responsible for that was texting while driving or was distracted in some other way, please contact the Texas Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer at the Hill Law Firm as soon as possible, so that we can help you protect your rights.