In October, President Obama signed an executive order forbidding federal employees from texting while driving. The move looks to be part of a growing sweep against the practice: So far, 18 states and the District of Columbia have banned on-the-road texts. Two more states have laws that forbid teens and other new drivers from the practice as well, and a similar forthcoming ban is aimed at bus drivers and truckers who travel between states.
A recently announced it will push to pass laws banning text messaging by drivers in all 50 states by 2013. Such laws seem to help: According to a study conducted by the Auto Club of Southern California, a ban implemented in California last January has reduced on-the-road texts by 70%. Nearly 80% of collisions involve some form of driver distraction, and the risk of a crash increases by 400% when using a cellphone, according to the AAA Foundation. Twenty percent of drivers in the U.S. admit to texting while driving at least once in the last month.
Texting behind the wheel is so dangerous that it joins our list of 10 deadly mistakes drivers make on the road. Others include well-known no-nos like driving while drunk and underestimating weather conditions.
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Inclement weather is associated with 7,000 fatalities, 800,000 injuries and more than 1.5 million crashes annually nationwide, with an estimated economic toll of $42 billion, according to the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health. Researchers there say the day after the first storm of the season is the most dangerous for drivers because people are unwilling to avoid driving or don't adopt safer procedures as completely as they will later in the season. Speeding becomes especially dangerous during the winter, too, as it shortens the amount of time and distance drivers have to respond to changing conditions. Mark Cox, director of the Bridgestone Winter Driving School in Bridgestone, Colo., says drivers should know the weight and drivetrain of their car and know the condition of their tires before they venture onto potentially slippery or snow-bound roads. It's not necessarily about going fast or slow, he says, it's about knowing your vehicle and acting accordingly.
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Image: Drinking and Driving
