While the ability to communicate away from our homes or work has become a vital tool to connect with family, friends, and emergency management agencies, it has also evolved into a tool of great danger when used while operating vehicle, particularly texting while driving.
Texting while driving has become as dangerous to driver and passenger safety as are people driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance. The number of teens killed because of texting while driving has now surpassed the number killed while driving under the influence of alcohol according to Alcohol Problems and
Solutions. The website notes that, “Driving a vehicle while texting is six times more dangerous
Than driving …show more content…
If texting while driving were punishable by law, 69% of all drivers owning a cell phone would be committing a crime. There needs to be strict laws passed in every state that are strictly enforced by law enforcement. Mississippi is one of only nine states that does not have full bans on texting while driving according to a report from MDOT on distracted driving, documented on WLBT Channel 3 News. In states where full texting while driving bans are enforce, the rate of accidents and fatalities has decreased significantly such as in Syracuse, New
York where they experienced a 32% decrease in cell phone use and texting (NHTSA). In
Hartford, Connecticut they saw a 57% drop in handheld cell phone use and a 72% drop in texting while driving (NHTSA). With these new statistics, NHTSA is planning to expand its campaign to ban cell phone use while driving in a nationwide effort as documented in the journal released in The State of the Nation of Cellphone Distracted Driving from the National Safety Council as posted on their website. In an article titled, Texting While Driving, found in Issues and Controversies,