Just how dangerous texting and driving really is in Illinois

Illinois has made texting and driving illegal, and the state has started a campaign that is known as "Drive Now. Text Later." The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness for the issue and to convince people, especially young people, that they should wait until they are off the roads to send or read text messages. Just how dangerous is this practice?

The statistics are alarming. For one, it has been determined that you are 23 times more likely to be involved in a wreck if you are texting. That's a massive increase of 2,200 percent. This information comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA.

This isn't just for minor crashes, either. Reports have shown that drivers are also more likely to be in wrecks in which they are hurt -- not to mention the people in the cars that they hit -- if it is a multi-car accident. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has noted that this type of accident is four times as likely.

Finally, to dispel any notion that this is not common, the National Safety Council has said that someone is involved in a wreck every 24 seconds due to a cellphone. This is how much of a distraction a phone can really be. That works out to more than two accidents per minute, all because of phones.

Did you get hit by someone who was driving while texting, and did you suffer from catastrophic injuries as a result? If so, make sure that you know what rights you have to financial compensation, both for your medical bills and for your pain and suffering.

Source: Illinois Tollway, "Drive Now. Text Later. You Can't Do Both." accessed Feb. 04, 2015