WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

It can wait

Texting while driving is dangerous. In fact, whatever you do in the car other than driving takes away from what’s happening on the road, and it can have devastating consequences.

In 2011 390,000 people in the U.S. were killed or injured in an accident caused by distracted driving. So what can we do to make the roads safer?

One big way is to limit phone distraction in the car. Lawmakers and law enforcement recognize this and, all but two states, Montana and Arizona, have some sort of law limiting talking or texting while driving. Here in Washington texting while driving is illegal, as is talking on a cell phone without a hands-free device.

But do these laws work? Are we saving lives?

A new report being published in the American Journal of Public Health from researchers at the University of Alabama, Birmingham says that they do work. Banning texting while driving reduces fatalities by 3 percent among all drivers, and 11 percent in young drivers, ages 15-21.

According to the report, the offense has to be primary – meaning law enforcement can stop you solely for texting while driving – in order for the law to be effective.

There are still too many fatalities and injuries from distracted driving, but the good news is we are on the right track to keeping our roads safer.

NCSL, state by state texting driving laws map
NCSL – State by state cell phone use and texting while driving laws