It is not much of a surprise that using gadgets while driving causes wrecks. What is surprising is that people do not seem to get it.

We have all heard about cellphones causing car accidents, but until recently many only guessed that other gadgets also caused wrecks. It turns out our assumptions were right. A new study from the Governors Highway Safety Association clearly points out that cellphones and other gadgets account for at least 25 percent of all U.S. car accidents.

Just what defines a gadget? These days that could be a GPS unit to the latest in tech travel toys or a laptop running movies to a video screen on the driver’s dashboard. What is wrong with people that they cannot just get drive but must be entertained by numerous devices? Why do people insist on having all these distractions even when it puts them at risk for an accident or worse? A tech fan with gadgets galore will be the first person to get flustered when ran into by another driver who was distracted.

Car accidents are serious events and may cause catastrophic injuries. Driving is a privilege and not a right, yet people treat it like it is not a big deal. It certainly can change your life when you slam into someone in the middle of an intersection because you were too involved in texting a friend about the lunch menu to pay attention to where you were going.

Unless there is a way to change people’s attitudes, the study and its consequences might not alter people’s habits. Laws do have some effect in the short term, but over the long haul they typically lose their impact as people get lackadaisical about them and figure they will not get caught. And, even though they might not get caught, they might just wind up dead instead.

There are more accident cases every year and it is always painful to know that many of them may have been avoided but for the negligent actions of another driver who was not thinking. For yourself and others, drive with care and pay attention – leave the gadgets for later.

Charlie Donahue is a New Hampshire personal injury lawyer located in Keene. Donahue handles injury cases in New Hampshire and across the United States. To learn more about New Hampshire injury attorney, Charlie Donahue, visit Donahuelawfirm.com.