SAFELY SPOTLIGHT
We should ban texting while driving
by December 15, 2011 • 1:38 am
Tuesday, the government’s top road safety experts recommended a complete ban on cellphone use while driving. So, should we ban drivers from using their phones? If you look at the facts, the answer is clearly yes.
Cellphones cause 1.3 million crashes each year
You didn’t read that wrong—according to the National Safety Council, 1.3 million car crashes involved cellphones in 2011 alone. And, in 2009, close to 5,500 people lost their lives due to cellphone use on the road.
Texting while driving is like drunk driving: both cost lives
Studies have found texting while driving can be more dangerous than drunk driving.
All 50 states have strict DUI laws. Yet, In Idaho, Arizona, Montana, South Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Florida, and Hawaii, texting behind the wheel is perfectly legal. In 7 other states, texting bans are limited to teens and truck drivers.
Playing Angry Birds or fiddling with your calendar can be just as distracting as sending a text. Sadly, bans on app usage are even less widespread. Only 15 states ban drivers from using apps.
Contact your state legislator
Both DUIs and texting while driving cost thousands of lives every year. So, why has the government cracked down on one, but not the other?
Laws only change if we speak up. If you live in a state that lets drivers use their phones, please, call or email your state representative and voice your support for a ban.
If you don’t know your representative’s number check out Project Vote Smart. They have a directory of who’s currently in office throughout the entire country.
Have you let your voice be heard?
Join the conversation on Twitter with @Safely.
Photo via OregonDOT.
