The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that nine Americans are killed every day in car accidents involving a driver distracted by an activity such as eating or using a cellphone.
According to the CDC, texting and driving is very dangerous, because a driver has to take their hands and eyes off the wheel and road.
As a result of the risks of distracted driving, many states are enforcing bans on texting while driving. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), there are currently 45 states, including Washington D.C., that ban texting and driving. Moreover, between the years of 2003 to 2010, researchers found that the rate of hospitalizations due to car accidents decreased by seven percent in the states that enforced strict bans on texting and driving.
The study conducted by Texas A&M School of Public Health asserts that laws on speeding, drunk driving, handheld cellphones and teenage driving restrictions also helped lower the hospitalization injury rate. The greatest benefit was seen in states that “primarily enforced” texting bans. Primarily enforced means law enforcement can stop drivers merely on the suspicion of texting and another violation does have to occurred.
States with “secondary enforcement” laws are only allowed to pull over a driver for another offense, such as speeding, before enforcing the texting ban.
Although it is commonplace to believe that teenagers are the biggest offenders for texting and driving, many adults are also guilty of engaging in this dangerous distracted driving behavior. In fact, research shows that drivers between 25-40 years of age are the worst offenders, because in addition to texting while behind the wheel, adults are also distracted by checking email and multitasking.
It is interesting to note that statistics show that bans on texting resulted in a nine percent reduction in car crash hospitalizations for drivers aged 22 and older. Overall, the study findings highlight the importance of texting bans and the need for more states to enact them.
