After reviewing more than 350 scientific studies on distracted driving, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) recently concluded that up to 25 percent of car accidents are linked to driver distraction, but only strict enforcement of cell phone laws will curb texting and talking behind the wheel. A law alone will not change behaviors.
"We have known all along that just passing a law ... isn't going to make a difference," said GHSA Executive Director Barbara Harsha in an article for www.stltoday.com. She cited drunk driving and seat belt use as examples in which tougher laws, combined with strict enforcement and public education, successfully changed driver behaviors.
The GHSA advised lawmakers in the 41 states who do not have existing laws banning handheld cell phone enact bans on texting for all drivers regardless of age. Despite the body of evidence showing the dangers of distracted driving, the report encouraged these states to conduct additional research that may reveal to legislators a more direct causal link between cell phone distractions and motor vehicle crashes to address concerns over potentially conflicting study results.
Missouri Faces Cell Phone Challenge
Missouri has remained one of the holdout states. Although measures that would ban all drivers from talking or texting on cell phones while driving have been repeatedly introduced, the legislature has been reluctant to enact any blanket bans on cell phone use. Currently, Missouri law prohibits texting only for drivers 21 and under.
This does not mean that law enforcement has given up. In 2012, Missouri police will begin efforts to capture more information about driver distractions by tracking driver activities.
United States Transportation Secretary Strongly Supports Cell Phone Ban
US Transportation Secretary, Ray La Hood, is working to provide states with the evidence they need to enact new safety laws. Two pilot studies conducted by the US Department of Transportation in Hartford, Connecticut and Syracuse, New York showed stepped-up enforcement and public-education campaigns proved highly effective in curbing distracted driving.
The one-year study, sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), revealed handheld cell phone use and texting while driving dropped sharply during four periods of stepped-up enforcement coupled with media campaigns. In Hartford, handheld cell phone use fell 57 percent and texting while driving dropped 72 percent during the campaign. In Syracuse, both handheld use and texting while driving dropped 32 percent.
"These findings show that strong laws, combined with visible police enforcement, can significantly reduce dangerous texting and cell phone use behind the wheel," LaHood told Usatoday.com. "It is crystal clear that those who try to minimize this dangerous behavior are making a serious error in judgment, especially when half a million people are injured and thousands more are killed in distracted-driving accidents."
Talking or texting while driving is only one of the ways a driver can be distracted behind the wheel. Distracted driving is one of the most dangerous forms of driver negligence, accounting for over 20 percent of all crashes resulting in injury in 2009. 18 percent of all fatalities were the result of a cell phone distraction.
If you have been injured or have lost a family member or other loved one as a result of another driver's negligence, you should contact an experienced Columbia motor vehicle accident attorney. It is important you have a car accident injury attorney who will fight to protect your rights.
