Laws Banning Driving While Texting May Be Coming to All States
Driving around Jacksonville, Florida these days, it is all too common to see people driving while focusing on their various text messaging devices rather than the road. One article I read a while ago referred to a study that found that driving while sending, receiving or reading text messages is more dangerous than both driving while talking on a cell phone and driving under the influence of alcohol.
As a result, some states, although not very many, have banned driving while using a text messaging device. A new survey conducted by Nationwide Insurance Company found that 80% of the people surveyed supported a law that would ban driving while texting. The Governors Highway Safety Association recently issued a policy encouraging all states to enact a law that would prohibit driving while texting. Support for a law banning driving while using a cell phone is there but not as strong (perhaps because more people use their phones for talking than text messaging).
With more mobile communication devices hitting the market and more people using them, I would guess that we will see more and more people driving while using these devices, whether they are talking on the phone, using the text messaging application, using the internet or some other application that distracts them from driving. As a result, we will see more traffic crashes and serious injuries resulting from people who are not paying full attention to their driving and other vehicles and people around them. Without much apparent justification to oppose a law that would ban driving while using a text messaging device, I expect that laws will be in place banning the practice in the not too distant future.
