NY Drivers Face New Law on Texting While Driving

A study released in July by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) concluded that people who text while driving are 23 times more likely to be in a crash or near miss event than non-distracted drivers. 

The main reason why texting while driving is so dangerous is because it requires one of the driver’s hands to be away from the steering wheel and reading a text message averts the driver’s eyes from the road, cars and pedestrians surrounding the vehicle.  The VTTI study found that in crashes or near-crashes, texting took a driver's focus away from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. At 55 mph, that is enough time to cover more than the length of a football field! Previous studies have proven that texters are also less likely than non-texters to stay in their lane and maintain a consistent speed.

Because of these dangers, 17 states have already passed laws banning texting while driving for all drivers, while nine states ban texting for new drivers.

The federal government is attempting to step in on this issue with new legislation.  The bill (S. 1536) - Avoiding Life-Endangering and Reckless Texting by Drivers (ALERT Drivers) Act, which was prompted in part by the Virginia Tech study, will force states to either ban drivers from texting within two years or sacrifice federal highway funds.

To view details on bill A8568 B, please go to http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A.8568B.  For further information on the Avoiding Life-Endangering and Reckless Texting by Drivers Act, please visit http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.1536.IS:.