Texting when driving bills have trouble on state level

When New York Senator Chuck Schumer brought a bill before the Senate to ban texting when driving, it seemed like the right bill at the right time. Yet recent developments in other states to enact similar laws have experienced some difficulty. How can this be possible in light of what CNN recently revealed about how eight out of 10 auto wrecks come from distracted driving? Apparently, state governors appear to be hung up on loopholes in the language of the legislation.

Source for this article: Texting while driving legislation hits snags at state level By Car Deal Expert

Texting when driving – a sample of what’s wrong with government

Numerous United States are having trouble making a texting while driving ban work. Georgia is just such a state. As outlined by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Governor Sonny Perdue is wary of difficulties of enforcement resulting from the chosen language. The words that make clear “any text-based communication” would be banned is what bugs Perdue. In addition, Gov. Perdue suggests what numerous other state governors are thinking, the laws won’t necessarily change the behavior when it is quite easy for drivers to obtain the instant gratification of texting while driving.

”If I get my e-mails and I pick up a smart-phone and read my e-mails,” Perdue exclaimed, “I’m violating the law. But if I print out my E-mails and I have a sheet of paper driving (and take a look at it), then I have not violated the law”.

Foregoing instant gratification

Using Perdue’s logic, perhaps all distracted driving should be against the law. Supporting that position shouldn’t be a tough sell. Strong texting while driving laws would make every life saved a testament to the law’s worthiness, right? Texting while driving causes 1.6 million crashes per year, as well as half a million injuries and 6,000 deaths per year around The United States, writes the AJC. In addition, texting while driving has been shown to be 3 times a lot more dangerous than driving drunk, as focusing on a phone calls for concentration. Overall, texting when driving, writes the AJC, is 23 times a lot more likely to cause an accident than without. Those numbers make it easy to see that individuals have to delay gratification and pull over first.

Auto Week and Oprah fighting the good fight

Auto Week’s national campaign against texting while driving has received attention. ”We know what a car can do – artistically and brutally at speed,” writes the auto news site. ”As car guys we must be on the front lines to carry the message, willing to share with everybody we know about the dangers of distracted driving. We must tell everybody to stop texting when driving. We are selfish that way. Because we want them to live”. Along similar lines, Oprah Winfrey’s “No Phone Zone” national campaign has garnered hundreds of thousands of petition signers.

American drivers deserve no texting while driving

Gov. Perdue should sign the anti-texting when driving bill to conserve lives, even if it isn’t perfect. For a lot more info on current texting while driving laws across The US, the link below to the Governors Highway Safety Association offers a current list of state-level cell phone and text messaging laws.

Additional info at these websites

blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2010/06/03/advocates-make-last-minute-appeal-to-the-governor-to-sign-texting-while-driving-ban/?cxntfid=blogs_get_schooled_blog

autoweek.com/files/distracteddriving/distracteddriving.html

ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html