A Massachusetts teen is facing motor-vehicle homicide and texting charges after a crash in February. This is the first alleged case of a death connected to texting while driving since a statewide ban went into effect in September.

The Essex District Attorney has charged Aaron Deveau, 17, of Haverhill with motor-vehicle homicide, texting while operating a motor vehicle negligently and causing injury in connection with a crash. The auto accident killed a passenger in the other vehicle.

The Boston Herald reports that from September 30, when the texting ban went into effect, to March of 2011, police have written 633 citations for texting while operating a motor vehicle, according to data collected by the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

The Dangers of Texting and Driving

This case highlights the dangers of texting and driving. The statistics, provided by distraction.org, are deeply troubling:

• 20 percent of injury crashes in 2009 involved reports of distracted driving (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
• Of those killed in distracted-driving-related crashed, 995 involved reports of a cell phone as a distraction - 18% of fatalities in distraction-related crashes (NHTSA)
• In 2009, 5,474 people were killed in U.S. roadways and an estimated additional 448,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes that were reported to have involved distracted driving (FARS and GES)
• The age group with the greatest proportion of distracted drivers was the under-20 age group - 16 percent of all drivers younger than 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported to have been distracted while driving (NHTSA)
• Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
• Using a cell phone use while driving, whether it's hand-held or hands-free, delays a driver's reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent (University of Utah)

The NHTSA has created a website focused on distracted driving. Given the explosive growth of text use, they are attempting to prevent it from rivaling drunk driving in death toll.

Texting poses an insidious threat due to its newness and the unconscious behavior of many, especially the young, who may not even realize they are doing it as they get into a car. This is particularly dangerous when they are driving a 4,000-pound vehicle down the road at 70 mph.

If you have been involved in an accident recently, even if you didn't notice if the other driver was using a cell phone, speak with an experienced personal injury attorney. Most attorneys now request cell phone records when investigation any motor vehicle accident case, to determine if cell phone usage or texting played a part in the crash.