Are Colorado police losing the battle against texting drivers?

Even though texting while driving is against the law in Colorado, many drivers continue to do it - and as a result, many innocent victims are needlessly injured and killed in distracted driving accidents every year.

In fact, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation (COT), there were 69 traffic fatalities caused by distracted driving accidents on Colorado roadways in 2015 alone - a 17 percent increase compared to just one year earlier. What's worse is that many experts believe that cellphone-related crashes are actually underreported since many drivers aren't willing to admit to police that they were using their phones at the time of their accidents.

Unfortunately, these statistics make one thing perfectly clear: the laws currently on the books are not stopping texting while driving accidents. So, this begs the question, why isn't the threat of being pulled over by police stopping drivers from texting?

Why are people still texting behind the wheel?

For many, they simply don't think that texting while driving is a big deal. They do it all the time, and nothing bad ever happens, so that means it is safe, right? Absolutely not. Even if a driver has been lucky up until now, that doesn't mean his or her luck will continue, especially given how dangerous texting while driving can be.

Also , even though texting while driving is a primary offense in Colorado - meaning police can pull you over without having to witness another traffic violation - it can nevertheless be difficult for police to enforce this law. For instance, unlike drunk driving, there is no test that police can use to determine if a driver was distracted at the time of the accident, not to mention that most drivers aren't going to willingly let the police look at their phones. In some cases, police may even have to get a warrant in order to gain access to the driver's phone.

Sadly, unless something changes soon, the texting epidemic while continue, meaning there will likely be many more victims in the future. However, there are options available to victims in the form of a personal injury lawsuit. Therefore, if you or a loved one has been injured in a distracted driving accident, you need to speak with an experienced attorney as soon as possible.