A married couple who were severely injured when their motorcycle washit by a teen who was texting while driving has settled for $500,000.
The couple's attorney says that amount is the maximum the young man's insurance company will pay. However, they're currently still seeking further legal action.
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David and Linda Kubert, the couple involved in the accident, were riding on a New Jersey road in fall 2009 when then 18-year-old Kyle Best, who was driving a truck -- allegedly with his elbows -- slammed into them.
Seconds before the crash, Best sent a text to his girlfriend Shannon Colonna. The Kuberts’ lawyer argued that she was “electronically present” for the accident and persued legal action against her, too. The judge dismissed the claim against Colonna saying the someone who sends a text is no more responsible for an accident than a billboard.
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The campaign against texting-while-driving has been pushed into the spotlight recently by incidences of roadway deaths due to texting while behind the wheel.
AT&T, for example, is doing a pledge drive asking teens to promise to avoid texting while driving.
AT&T launched a tear-jerking video series with real stories of family members who lost loved ones due to texting and driving. The videos not only show the sadness the loss of life has caused for family and friends, but also highlights how trivial many text messages are by showing the deceases' last words -- lasts texts are often as banal as simply, "Yeah."
Despite the video campaign, teens admitted that they continue to text while driving in a survey recently released by AT&T. 97% of teens said they know that texting while driving is dangerous, but 75% say that the practice is still common among their friends. 89% answered that they reply to a text message or email within five minutes, whether they’re driving or not.
What's your personal policy on texting while driving -- never, sometimes, often? Tell us in the comments.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, LeggNet
This story originally published on Mashable here.