There are already laws on the books regarding innatentive driving.
However, some cities, counties and states have begun to specifically address texting while driving (TWD) as illegal.
Is TWD legislation necessary across the United States?
Texting while driving is riskier than talking on a cell phone or with another passenger. A timely study in the journal Human Factors suggests why.
Human factors/ergonomics researchers at the University of Utah found that texters in a driving simulator had more crashes, responded more slowly to brake lights on cars in front of them, and showed impairment in forward and lateral control than did drivers who talked on a cell phone while driving or drove without texting.
Researchers Frank Drews and colleagues found evidence that attention patterns differ for drivers who text versus those who converse on a cell phone.
In the latter case, the researchers say:
Drivers apparently attempt to divide attention between a phone conversation and driving, adjusting the processing priority of the two activities depending on task demands. But texting requires drivers to switch their attention from one task to the other. When such attention-switching occurs as drivers compose, read, or receive a text, their overall reaction times are substantially slower than when they're engaged in a phone conversation. The type of texting activity also appears to make a difference; in this study, reading messages affected braking times more than did composing them.
The hazards of texting while driving continue to receive broad national and international attention as accident rates attributed to this practice increase. As a result, a growing number of U.S. cities and states, as well as Canadian provinces, ban texting while operating a vehicle.
According to CTIA (www.ctia.org):
More than 1 trillion text messages were sent in 2008 in the United States alone. To find why and how much drivers are impaired during texting, the researchers engaged 20 men and 20 women between the ages of 19 and 23 in both a single task (straight driving) and a dual task (driving and texting) in a high-fidelity simulator. The participants, experienced texters with an average of 4.75 years of driving experience, received and sent messages while the researchers observed their brake onset time, following distance, lane maintenance, and collisions.
The crash risk attributable to texting is substantial. One possible explanation is that drivers who text tend to decrease their minimum following distance and also experience delayed reaction time. For example, in the Drews et al. study, drivers' median reaction time increased by 30 percent when they were texting and 9 percent when they talked on the phone, compared with their performance in a driving-only condition.
Despite this heavy danger, how many times have you seen people texting while driving?
The practice is widespread, and more clarity from the government is necessary on this issue. For example, a group of college students in a western area recently spoke at length about how often they notice local police officers texting while driving.
A motorist who texts while driving is 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash than one who does not, an academic study at Virginia Tech concluded.
TWD is now a unique threat, similar to driving under the influence. How should it be addressed?
Caldwell, Idaho State Senator John McGee has introduced a bill in the Legislature that would clarify to law enforcement that texting while driving simply is inattentive driving.
According to the Idaho Press Tribune:
Police officers can already charge someone with inattentive driving if they see erratic behavior on the road.
It might not seem like much of a difference, but McGee’s addendum would make it easier for police to write a ticket without having to wait until it’s too late. If the bill becomes law, an officer could write a ticket the minute he sees someone texting at the wheel. He wouldn’t have to wait until he sees the driver swerving all over the road.
Someone in violation would be charged with a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in jail or a $300 fine.
In an editorial this morning, the IPT board says that the idea of a ban on cell phone use while driving has not been popular with many Idahoans.
While some argue it is a distraction that increases the likelihood of a wreck, it can also be done safely and responsibly. If not, the result is inattentive driving, and that is already against the law.
Texting is another story. Simply put, you cannot watch the road when you’re texting. Your eyes have to look at the keys while you type. Idaho should impose a clear ban on texting while driving for the same reason we don’t allow people who can’t see to drive — you can’t be safe when you don’t see the road.
The IPT concludes that:
A ban on this dangerous behavior isn’t unnecessary government intrusion into our freedoms. Driving is a privilege, not a right. We ban drunk driving because it’s not possible to drive safely while under the influence. Ditto for driving while texting. It’s a no-brainer.
Take the poll.