Highway safety group calls for texting ban

Consumer Reports News: August 31, 2009 03:05 PM

States are being encouraged to pass laws banning texting behind the wheel by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), which is meeting today in Savannah.

"The action by the GHSA membership is based on the fact that texting while driving is indisputably a distraction and a serious highway safety problem," said chairman Vernon F. Betkey Jr. "If every state passes a texting ban, it will send a message to the public that this dangerous practice is unacceptable. We can begin to change the culture that has permitted distracted driving."

The non-profit group's recommendation was partly influenced by a recent study from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute that showed that a driver who is texting increases crash or near-crash risk by 23 times.

Currently, 18 states and the District of Columbia ban text messaging for all drivers. Check the GHSA's state-by-state guide to see what the laws are in your state.

Viral video
In Wales, officials are trying a different tactic to discourage drivers from texting. The Gwent police collaborated with a filmmaker on a video about "a nice girl from a nice Gwent valleys family who kills four people on the road because she used her mobile and lost her concentration for a few seconds."

The viral video has sparked an international conversation about texting and driving. We'd like to caution our readers that the video is very graphic.

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Highway safety group calls for texting ban

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