• 16
  • September
    2010

There has been a nationwide push to ban texting while driving. Most states, including North Carolina have banned texting of any kind for any driver. Other states have banned texting for novice drivers or bus drivers. Only 12 states have not passed any legislation at all concerning texting and driving. The legislation was enacted in an attempt to reduce the amount of car accidents which result from distracted-driving.

Although most states now have legislation banning texting while driving including e-mail, a survey by Seventeen magazine said that 9 out of 10 teens still engage in distracted-driving behaviors. 84% of the teens surveyed acknowledged that participating in behavior that is distracting while driving increases the risk of an accident, but 86% of those surveyed admitted to engaging in distracted-driving behaviors.

Not only are teens and other drivers finding it difficult to stop texting while driving, it can be difficult for officers to enforce the law. Most texting occurs below the steering wheel, hidden from an officer's view outside the vehicle.

Even though technology seems to be causing the problem, technology may also be the answer. Cell phone applications are being created that disable a phone's texting and e-mailing capabilities while driving. The applications can be downloaded onto smart phones, and they work through the phone's GPS. The GPS system can track the speed at which the phone is moving while in a vehicle or on a person. Once the car goes faster than 5 or 10 miles per hour, the application takes effect. Not to worry though, the user can opt out of the application for when they are merely a passenger in the vehicle. Several applications such as iZup, tXtBlocker, ZoomSafer and CellSafety are available for phones including the Blackberry. However, none of the applications are yet compatible with the iPhone. 

Source: USA Today "Safety-driven software aims to block texting while driving" Larry Copeland 7/21/10