Highway safety group calls for texting ban

States are being encouraged to pass laws banning texting behind the wheel by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), which is meeting today in Savannah.

“The action by the GHSA membership is based on the fact that texting while driving is indisputably a distraction and a serious highway safety problem," said chairman Vernon F. Betkey Jr. "If every state passes a texting ban, it will send a message to the public that this dangerous practice is unacceptable. We can begin to change the culture that has permitted distracted driving.”

The non-profit group's recommendation was partly influenced by a recent study from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute that showed that a driver who is texting increases crash or near-crash risk by 23 times.

Currently, 18 states and the District of Columbia ban text messaging for all drivers. Check the GHSA's state-by-state guide to see what the laws are in your state.

Viral video
In Wales, officials are trying a different tactic to discourage drivers from texting. The Gwent police collaborated with a filmmaker on a video about "a nice girl from a nice Gwent valleys family who kills four people on the road because she used her mobile and lost her concentration for a few seconds."

The viral video has sparked an international conversation about texting and driving. We'd like to caution our readers that the video is very graphic.

Comments

[Courtney Swauger]

I think we should be allowed to text and drive because that is not the only distraction out their. Just because you ban texting while driving doesn.t mean the accidents are going to stop. People can get distracted by road signs or playing with the radio maybe eating.

[Rob]

I'm with James, just enforce the existing distracted driving laws. I can even see this backfiring - people dumb enough to text while driving aren't going to obey this law, they'll just text with the phone out of sight on their lap - making the distraction worse.

Current cell phone laws do the same thing, they only ban hand held phones and allow hands-free use. Yet study after study proves the phone conversation is the distracting factor, not physically holding the phone. Hands free use is just as dangerous, but people believe because they have a headset and are "legal" that equates to "safe". Hand held bans only make the situation worse.

[NickG]

While I agree that texting while driving is bad, I wonder why it is singled out? I see idiots equally as impaired by eating, putting on make-up, etc. For that matter, drivers with kids in the car are often highly distracted.

I wonder the same thing for bans on cell phone use that allow handsfree units. As a physician I sometimes have to talk on the phone and drive at the same time (unless you'd like me to stop the car to give an order to a nurse while driving in to intubate your mom.) Its way more distracting for me to have to fish out and get to work the bluetooth headset I am required to use in CA rather than just hold the phone to my ear.

I'm all for safer laws, but how about smart laws?

[eric]

Agree that the same rules for a DUI should apply. Studies have shown that cellphone talkers (not even texters) can be as impaired as a drunk driver.

[James]

Well if they are going to make a law against texting, then I want one against eating while driving, another one about putting on makeup,another on about reading while driving,another one about turning around to yell at kids, etc.
Oh wait there already laws about driving while distracted.
Enforce it!!
We already have states that have laws about talking on a cell phone while driving. Another case of driving while distracted.

So we make a new law that is covered by another law, for what reason?
Because it's the latest driving distraction?
Or law makers justifying their existence?

It seems that almost no one has common sense anymore.

[Ray]

You would have to be a total idiot to text while driving. Anyone stupid enough to text while driving should have their license suspended for 90 days on the first offense and if they are incredibly stupid and get a second citation, then they should spend 30-60 days in jail with a $1,000 fine. If you need to text pull over, take the keys out of the ignition and text. The same rules for DWI should apply.