AAA's New Goal: Driving-While-Texting Ban In All 50 States
AAA has declared war on drexting. Declaring that texting while driving is a "dangerous distraction," the automobile club has announced a campaign to get it banned in all 50 states.
Already, 18 states and Washington, D.C., have enacted such bans, New Jersey and California among them.
AAA supported the push for a nationwide ban with research from the Auto Club of Southern California that showed the state's ban, enacted in January, appears to be reducing the number of people texting while driving. According to the research, in Orange County, researchers saw 1.4 percent of drivers doing the deed before the law. Since then, just 0.4 percent of drivers were observed texting. So either most people have stopped or they've become better at hiding it.
AAA says texting while driving should be illegal everywhere...
A study recently released by the Michigan State Medical Society claimed that texting while driving made it six times more dangerous. The society deemed texting the most dangerous distraction because the National Highway Traffic Administration put all cell phone use at the top of the list of distractions; the society said that included texting and therefore made the act the most dangerous distraction.
AAA cited the exponential increase in texting's popularity over the past four years: "According to the wireless industry trade association CTIA, the number of monthly text messages reached 110 billion at the end of 2008-a more than 11-fold increase in three years."
Already, 18 states and Washington, D.C., have enacted such bans, New Jersey and California among them.
AAA supported the push for a nationwide ban with research from the Auto Club of Southern California that showed the state's ban, enacted in January, appears to be reducing the number of people texting while driving. According to the research, in Orange County, researchers saw 1.4 percent of drivers doing the deed before the law. Since then, just 0.4 percent of drivers were observed texting. So either most people have stopped or they've become better at hiding it.
AAA says texting while driving should be illegal everywhere...
A study recently released by the Michigan State Medical Society claimed that texting while driving made it six times more dangerous. The society deemed texting the most dangerous distraction because the National Highway Traffic Administration put all cell phone use at the top of the list of distractions; the society said that included texting and therefore made the act the most dangerous distraction.
AAA cited the exponential increase in texting's popularity over the past four years: "According to the wireless industry trade association CTIA, the number of monthly text messages reached 110 billion at the end of 2008-a more than 11-fold increase in three years."
