A nationwide campaign has been launched by AAA to pass laws prohibiting motorists from text messaging while driving. Currently, 18 states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws addressing this dangerous behavior. With most state legislatures preparing for their 2010 sessions, AAA will be actively pushing lawmakers to focus on this issue in the remaining 32 states.
Earlier this year, AAA Auto Club South and AAA East Tennessee were instrumental in getting a bill passed in Tennessee. State Senator Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville) and Representative Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol) sponsored the lifesaving measure.
“Banning text messaging while driving will be a top Florida and Georgia legislative priority for AAA Auto Club South in 2010,” said Kevin Bakewell, Senior Vice President, Public & Government Relations. Text messaging while driving has proliferated in the last few years, and the upward trend shows no signs of abating. In its Traffic Safety Culture Index study released earlier this year, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reported that 21 percent of drivers admitted to text messaging while driving during the last month.
Texting while driving presents a danger to all road users due to the significant time involved in writing, reading and sending messages—activities that take the driver’s eyes off the road and hands off the wheel, in addition to the mental distraction. Research illustrates the severely degrading effect that sending a text message has on driving performance. The AAA Foundation analyzed data from a 2006 Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) study involving 100 drivers in natural settings which found that taking one’s eyes off the road for more than two seconds doubles the crash risk. Earlier this year, VTTI found that commercial truck drivers who are texting are 23 times more likely to crash. Surveys show that public support for this important traffic safety measure is generally high, ranging from 80 to 96 percent.
Text messaging is one of many distractions that can divert a driver’s attention. Using a cell phone, accessing the Internet, eating, talking with passengers, reading maps or the newspaper, writing and personal grooming are among activities that could create a substantial crash risk.
To learn the facts about distracted driving and helpful tips on how to eliminate distractions behind the wheel, visit AAA.com/SafetyMatters.
“We can do something to reduce distracted driving...and we can do it now,” said Tom O’Brien, President and CEO of AAA Auto Club South. “We must encourage greater common sense, take responsibility for our own actions, focus on the roadway environment in front and around us while driving, and focus on that alone. That is why I am asking all motorists to commit to safe driving 24/7. Not for a day or a week, but for a lifetime.”