Should Texting While Driving Be against the Law?

According to a Virginia Tech study, it is estimated that drivers are 23 times more likely to get into an automobile accident when they text, which is why lawmakers in many U.S. states have called for texting while driving to be against the law.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that one-third of U.S. drivers sometimes text while driving. Approximately 24% of car accidents are caused by texting or other mobile phone use. Inexperienced teenage drivers are among the most likely to text while driving (in the CDC study, over 50 percent of teenage participants reported doing so). Likewise, car accidents are the leading cause of death for teens, with over 3,000 teenagers dying each year specifically in texting-related crashes.

More about distracted driving:

  • Drivers in the U.S. and Portugal are the most likely to drive while using mobile devices – 69 percent of American drivers and 59 percent of Portuguese drivers report doing so.
  • The average amount of time a driver’s eyes are off the road when texting is five seconds, which is over twice as long as is considered safe.
  • About 660,000 drivers are estimated to be texting or talking on a mobile phone at any given time in the United States.

Discussion Comments

anon995503

I think some notices posted along the streets should help to increase awareness regarding this issue. A lot of people perhaps are just not reading the news already.

anon995326

In South Africa and New Zealand, it is against the law to text and drive, although not all abide by it. But if you are caught driving and texting, a heavy fine awaits you.

anon995325

Yes, it's totally not safe. Pull over or wait.

bggautier

I agree with pegasuspam55. Seems like I can always tell if a driver is texting by the way they're driving: slowly or weaving in their lane of traffic. We need to get them off the road.

anon995320

Yes, it should hold stronger violations. My daughter does this every day all day long and it is pretty frightening!! She knows exactly what she is doing, but ignores it totally. If I were not so dependent on her and the children too, we would never, ever get in the car with her!

pegasuspam55

Texting while driving should be considered under the law as DUI. The punishment should be the same as drinking and driving, and driving under the influence of drugs.

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