SAN ANTONIO - Texas drivers using cells phones are causing thousands of accidents, some of them deadly. The problem is particularly bad here in San Antonio, according to what the News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooters uncovered.
We broke down where in San Antonio you're most likely to get hit by one of these drivers. The interchange at IH-10 and Loop 1604 is just one of the places you're most likely to be struck by a driver distracted by their cell phone. But it's not the only place you need to watch out for.
“The hood was bent up; you know you could see into the engine. It's ridiculous the amount of damage done in just a few seconds," says Adam Mireles, “Here we are about to get robbed of everything we have over something so little as a cell phone."
Adam’s one-year-old baby girl was in the car at the time of the accident.
Adam's attorney, Mitchell Ginsburg, says he's seen a dramatic increase in cases involving drivers distracted while texting or talking on their phones. He says these crashes are more severe than most.
“I believe the reason for that is because they don't even see the accident coming. They don't have enough reaction time, and they don't slam on the brakes. They just run into whatever is in their way,” explains Ginsburg.
Until now it has been impossible to tell exactly how many accidents like this happen in Texas. But the News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooters got ahold of the Texas Department of Transportation’s database of every vehicle accident.
We analyzed it, and found that since 2005 officers have cited cell phone use as a contributing factor in more than 17,519 accidents with 7,519 injuries and 167 deaths. What's worse, San Antonio tops the state with 1,611 crashes in the past five years.
So we wanted to know where in San Antonio you're most likely to be hit by a distracted driver. To find out, we took the last two years worth of accidents and put them on a map of the city.
We found the worst spots include the roads in and around the airport with eight accidents, and over at Bandera and Loop 410 another eight wrecks.
Next, the intersection of Loop 1604 and Hwy 281 is the site of nine crashes. And the place where you're most likely to get hit is in and around downtown with 35 accidents.
As the debate goes on in Austin about whether there should be laws against you driving and texting or talking on the phone, those who've lost loved ones say the answer is simple.
"No call, no email, no text message is worth someone's life," says Jennifer Smith.
Smith's mother was killed near Dallas by someone who ran a red light while distracted by their phone.
"When you're driving, you just need to be driving. You're driving a deadly weapon," said Smith.
Since the accident that took her mother's life, she's founded a group called Focus Driven for victims and families who've lost loved ones.
“Lives are going to continue to be lost until we have a total cell phone ban,” said Smith.
But a total ban on cell phones while driving is not very likely, according to one state lawmaker we talked to. However, you can bet the legislature will look to put the brakes on the problem when it meets again next year.
