Texting while driving bill gaining traction
Terry Ganey of the Columbia Tribune has a great report about the new bill before the Missouri Legislature to ban texting while driving and the use of cell phones by school bus drivers. I would hope that ever school district in Missouri already has a policy against their drivers from using cell phones while driving students.
Blah, blah, blah. That woman who blithely ran the intersection’s red light, her cellular telephone stuck to her ear, what could she be talking about?
Blah, blah, blah. That young man on the cell phone behind the wheel of the car that nearly mowed you down as you crossed the street, what could be so important?
So far, the Missouri General Assembly believes everyone should have the right to drive a car and carry on these conversations despite what it might mean for traffic safety. For years, efforts in the legislature to prohibit automobile drivers from using cellular telephones have been unsuccessful.
Now there is a new attempt — to outlaw text-messaging while driving and to prohibit school bus drivers from using cell phones while transporting pupils.
“We need to change our mind-set about this dangerous behavior,” said state Sen. Ryan McKenna, D-Crystal City, the sponsor of both bills.
The article goes on
Figures supplied by the Missouri State Highway Patrol show about 23 percent of the 900 fatal traffic crashes in 2007 were caused by inattention. Of that number, more than 6 percent of the fatal accidents were because of cell phone use.
McKenna presented his two bills to the Senate Transportation Committee last week. He said he had witnessed people driving while reading the newspaper, putting on makeup or eating cereal. Text-messaging is more serious, however, because it can become a compulsion.
“More people aren’t paying attention because they are texting while they are driving,” McKenna said. “What we see out there now, especially among young folks, is text messaging and not understanding how dangerous the vehicle they are supposed to be operating is. A lot of tragic things can happen.”
A joint survey conducted by AAA and Seventeen magazine of 1,000 teenagers in 2007 showed 61 percent admitted to risky driving habits. Of those, about half said they sent text messages and talked on cell phones.
I couldn't agree more, in December I wrote about the texting while driving issue here and here. I find it amazing that 6% of the fatal accidents are cell phone related. I would be willing to bet it could be more, if there were a way to prove people checking their phone for messages in the moments immediately before the accident.
If you or someone you love has been involved in a car crash accident involving a driver distracted by texting or a cell phone call or a driver charged with reckless driving in the Springfield, Branson, Lebanon, Southwest Missouri area, contact The Krebs Law Firm LLC for a free consultation with a lawyer regarding your injury claims.
