Lawmakers are Ready to Put the Brakes on Texting While Driving
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009 | posted by: Kristen Dreaper
The first study of drivers texting while driving was conducted by a highway safety institute and recently reported in the nytimes.com.
According to Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, when long-haul truck drivers text while driving their collision risk is 23x greater than when not texting. Sure, it only takes five seconds to text, but at highway speeds, that’s enough time to cover the distance of a football field, research shows.
But you don’t drive a long-haul truck? In a study by University of Utah researchers, college kids were studied while texting and driving simulators. The results may sound better — they are 6 times more likely to wreck while texting and driving a car or light-duty truck — but researchers propose a couple of reasons: teenagers these days are better multi-taskers and regular cars and trucks don’t take as long to maneuver. Regardless, a driver may be twice as likely or 100 times as likely, but the end result is the same. And there is something that can and should be done about it.
Gov. Beverly Perdue utilized common sense and legislated a ban in North Carolina, joining the ranks of 13 other states. But that leaves 36 states that haven’t addressed this issue. On a positive note, the Associated Press reports some lawmakers are proposing states ban this risky activity or risk losing highway funds.
If your text messages are so important that they can’t wait to be transmitted until after you’ve parked, maybe a little scientific research will change your mind. After all, everyone wants affordable car insurance. And safe drivers pay lower premiums– that’s a fact.
Not sure if your representatives are ready to put the brakes on drivers who text while driving? Check the Governor Highway Safety Association to find out.
