Distracted driving crashes in Washington, DC can cause serious injuries, missed work, and expensive medical treatment. These crashes are common on heavily traveled roads such as New York Avenue NE, Interstate 295, Suitland Parkway, and downtown corridors near K Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue.
Regan Zambri Long’s team of nationally recognized Washington, DC distracted driving lawyers handles cases involving texting while driving, handheld phone use, and other forms of driver inattention. Our attorneys have recovered multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements in serious motor vehicle collision cases, including results of $10 million, $8 million, and $6.9 million.
We know how to prove fault in car accidents caused by phone use, texting, or other forms of inattention while driving. Our lawyers understand the specific legal requirements of the District’s hands-free law and the penalties for violating it. By collecting phone records, eyewitness accounts, and digital evidence, we build solid cases that hold negligent drivers accountable and help you pursue the compensation you deserve for your injuries and losses.
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Unfortunately, victims of crashes involving distracted drivers in Washington, DC can be left with severe injuries, mounting medical bills, and even an inability to work. Contact a car accident lawyer if you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident involving a distracted driver.
Many states have enacted laws meant to curb distracted driving. These laws can vary greatly from one state to the next, leading to confusion over what it is legal to do behind the wheel. Washington, DC has even gone as far as to ban texting and talking on the phone while driving (unless doing so hands-free) in an effort to reduce the incidence of distracted driving. However, distracted driving is still one of the biggest problems on heavily traveled Washington, DC roads such as New York Avenue NE, Suitland Parkway, Interstate 295, and the Capital Beltway, where sudden traffic slowdowns and congestion increase the risk of rear-end and multi-vehicle crashes.
People usually think of distracted driving as texting or using a phone while driving. Although this is one of the main causes of distracted driving accidents, distraction can take many forms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention broadly defines distracted driving as driving while doing another activity. Anything that takes your attention away from driving can be considered a distraction. Even a brief distraction can be dangerous on busy DC corridors like New York Avenue NE, Interstate 295, Rock Creek Parkway, and K Street NW, where traffic patterns can change quickly. These distractions are usually classified as one of three main types:
Many forms of distraction, such as texting or sending an email while driving, can fit into all these categories. A significant percentage of distracted driving accidents involve cell phone use. However, there are various distractions that can lead to accidents including:
Many drivers engage in these actions while driving on a regular basis and would consider them harmless. Unfortunately, even a minor distraction could have disastrous consequences.
Reaching for something on the floor of your car or sending a quick text while driving may seem innocent enough. But in fact, taking your eyes off of the road for even a second can cause an accident if someone cuts in front of you, or comes to a sudden stop when you are not looking.
Sending texts is particularly dangerous, as the average text takes 5 seconds to send. If you are driving on the highway at 55 mph, sending a text would then be equivalent to driving the entire length of a football field with your eyes closed. Driving safely requires all of your attention. Anything you do that acts as a distraction while driving could have tragic consequences. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,275 people lost their lives in distracted driving accidents in 2023.
Not only does using your phone pose a threat, but even hands-free distractions can reduce your reaction time while driving. In a study conducted by AAA’s Foundation for Traffic Safety, Dr. David Strayer and colleagues discovered that even hands-free talking and texting is not risk-free, as it poses a mental distraction. In their study, the researchers found that drivers who were mentally distracted by a phone call, dictating texts, or even listening to the radio needed 18% more time to respond to brake lights than cars ahead of them. According to Strayer, even when used hands-free, cell phone use affects reaction time significantly enough for a 20-year-old driver to suffer from the same delayed reaction time as a 70-year-old-driver.
Ultimately, anything that takes your eyes and/or attention away from the road even for a matter of seconds can affect your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. All it takes is a minor distraction for you to cause an accident that could result in severe injuries or even death.
Every accident is unique and can cause different types of injuries and damages. A car accident involving distracted driving in Washington, DC can be particularly devastating. A distracted driver taking their eyes off the road for even a few seconds can cause them to veer into another lane, sideswiping or hitting another vehicle head-on at full speed. Distracted drivers may even unknowingly fail to stop at a stoplight, resulting in a t-bone accident or striking a pedestrian, cyclist or scooter rider.
While distracted driving accidents carry a higher risk of fatalities and catastrophic injuries, non-fatal injuries are common and include:
Non-fatal distracted driving accidents can result in devastating injuries for victims. Highlighting the importance of giving your full attention to the road at all times when behind the wheel. Unfortunately, distracted driving accidents, and in particular, those involving cell phones, have become such a common occurrence that many states have had to implement laws restricting the use of mobile devices in vehicles in the hopes of suppressing this problem.
Under DC Code § 50–1731.02, distracted driving includes any inattentive behavior that makes driving unsafe, such as texting, reading, grooming, or using a handheld device. Distracted driving accidents involving the use of electronic devices have grown increasingly common.
More states have begun to implement laws that ban the use of handheld devices behind the wheel. The District of Columbia is one of 48 states that ban texting for all drivers, and one of 24 states that prohibit all drivers from using handheld devices and cell phones while driving. All of these handheld cell phone bans are considered primary enforcement laws. Meaning that an officer may pull over and cite a driver for using a handheld cell phone without any other traffic violation/offense taking place.
Overall, Washington, DC arguably has some of the strictest distracting driving laws in the country. DC was amongst the first places in the country to implement restrictions on the use of mobile devices inside a car with the passing of the Distracted Driving Safety Act of 2004. This banned the use of handheld cell phones and other electronic devices while driving. The law prohibits drivers from using mobile phones and other electronic devices (including, but not limited to, computers, video games, pagers, and music players while actively driving a motor vehicle).
However, exceptions to this law do exist for drivers using devices equipped with, or connected to, hands-free technology. If you are able to use your device while keeping both hands on the wheel, you are not in violation of this law. Exceptions also exist that allow drivers to use their phones to initiate or terminate a hands-free phone call. Drivers are always free to use their cell phones in emergencies, such as if they need to call 911 or another emergency service. (This law only applies to moving vehicles. Drivers in parked cars and vehicles pulled over on the side of the road are free to use handheld devices.)
Washington, DC places stricter distracted driving rules on school bus drivers and drivers with learner’s permits under District law, which has been amended since the Distracted Driving Safety Act was first passed in 2004, including later changes that expanded handheld device restrictions. Current penalties and restrictions are set out in D.C. Code § 50-1731.06, as amended by the Enhanced Penalties for Distracted Driving Amendment Act of 2016 (D.C. Law 21-196).
These drivers are not allowed to text or use a handheld phone while operating a vehicle in motion, even if hands-free technology is available.
For school bus drivers, these restrictions apply while they are operating a bus for work. They do not apply when the driver is operating a personal vehicle.
The only exception is for emergency situations, such as contacting 911 or another emergency service.
Similar to drunk driving, distracted driving is a willful and negligent act that can put other people’s lives at risk. If you or a loved one was injured in a car accident due to the negligence of a distracted driver, you may be entitled to compensation. A distracted driving accident can cause serious consequences for victims. You could be facing high medical bills, lost wages, property damage, as well as pain and suffering, which has long-lasting ramifications. The fact is that you should not have to suffer because someone else chose to drive distracted.
It is imperative that you contact an experienced Washington, DC distracted driving accident lawyer who can help you during this difficult time.
Choosing Regan Zambri Long after a distracted driving crash means working with attorneys who know how to investigate phone use, obtain traffic camera footage, review police reports, and preserve digital evidence that may help prove driver distraction. Our firm has recovered multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements for people injured in serious car accidents across Washington, DC.
Partner Paul Cornoni was recently named 2026 “Lawyer of the Year, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs,” in Washington, DC, by Best Lawyers. Founding partner Salvatore Zambri has been listed among the Top 10 Super Lawyers in Washington, DC, while Paul Cornoni, and Patrick Regan have each been named to the Top 100 Super Lawyers in Washington, DC. All six of our partners are recognized in the Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers list.
The firm’s next generation of talent is also earning national recognition, with Emily Lagan selected to the Rising Stars list by Super Lawyers and named One to Watch by Best Lawyers. Together, the firm’s attorneys deliver trusted advocacy and proven results in distracted driving cases across the DC Metro area.
Learn more about how the car accident attorneys at Regan Zambri Long can give you the best chances of securing proper compensation for your injuries following a distracted driving accident in Washington, DC.
Drivers cited for distracted driving in Washington, DC may face increasing penalties for repeat violations under D.C. Code § 50-1731.06.
A driver who causes substantial bodily harm, death, or property damage of $10,000 or more while texting or using certain electronic applications while driving may also face criminal penalties under DC law.
Commercial drivers and employers may face additional penalties for distracted driving violations.
A car accident lawyer may help prove the other driver was distracted by getting phone records, traffic camera footage, police reports, and witness statements. In some cases, video footage or the driver’s own statements after the crash may also help show the driver was not paying attention.
Evidence used to prove distracted driving may include:
An attorney may also send legal requests to help keep important evidence from being deleted or lost.
Yes. Because the driver is not paying attention to the road, they are breaching their duty to use reasonable care and protect other drivers on the road from harm.
If you find yourself easily distracted when driving, there are some tips you can follow that will minimize distractions:
According to the CDC, teenagers and young adults are the most likely to drive while distracted. The CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System found in 2019 that 39% of high school students who drove in the past 30 days either texted or email while behind the wheel at least one of those days. Worryingly, recent research published in 2025 found that this figure had grown to approximately 54%. In addition, those students were more likely to do other risky activities such as not wearing a seat belt, drunk driving, or riding with an individual who had been drinking alcohol.
Depending on the severity of your injuries, an accident victim may recover both economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are compensation for monetary losses such as medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, and loss of earning potential.
Non-economic damages are for losses that are non-monetary and can be subjective. These damages include pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment, loss of consortium, and emotional distress.
If you were a victim of a distracted driving accident and need help recovering compensation for your injuries, our Washington, DC distracted driving accident lawyers are here to help. Contact us today for a free evaluation of your claim. We work on a contingency basis, meaning you do not owe an attorney’s fee until your case is resolved.
Have you or your loved one sustained injuries in Washington DC, Maryland or Virginia? Regan Zambri Long PLLC has the best lawyers in the country to analyze your case and answer the questions you may have.