Many West Virginia drivers might have contradictory opinions about distracted driving. While they probably disapprove of others doing it, they may feel confident that they can both use a cell phone and drive successfully. According to a recent study, such contradictions are true of about one-third of all drivers.

A new report by Progressive Insurance revealed that while 90 percent of drivers feel distracted driving should be illegal and many believe it is the main cause of car accidents, about one-third are confident they can text and drive without problems. This attitude was more pronounced in the 18-34 age demographic, where more than 60 percent of the study respondents said they could safely text while driving. Meanwhile, only 6 percent of those in the 55 and older demographic shared this belief. Marked differences can be seen due to gender as well. About 20 percent of men were very confident of safely texting compared with 11 percent of women. However, the majority of both men and women felt that texting while driving should be prohibited.

These attitudes are particularly important when considering accident statistics regarding distracted driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted drivers were involved in crashes that resulted in 3,477 deaths and 391,000 injuries in 2015. In those fatal crashes, teens made up the largest group of drivers involved.

Victims of car accidents might choose to pursue personal injury claims for damages. They might find that a lawyer with personal injury experience could help them through the process by gathering evidence to support their claims.