This summer Massachusetts joined 29 other states that ban texting and driving. The ban, which comes into effect in October, is aimed at reducing accident fatalities and injuries caused by distracted driving.
In an encouraging turn of events, the US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced yesterday that deaths related to distracted driving fell by 6% in 2009. Injuries stemming from distracted driving accidents declined by 4%, he said.
The news which was reported at the second annual Distracted Driving Summit in Washington, DC, can be connected to the 30 states' initiatives to curb dangerous habits like texting while driving in all drivers, but especially teenagers.
According to the Governors' Highway Safety Association (GHSA), last year alone, 12 states: Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming, have have banned the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving.
Thirty states have now introduced texting & driving bans.
Stateline.org reports that while Congress is yet to ban distracted driving on a national level, the GHSA soon may go a step further and aim for a complete ban on mobile phone use while driving.
"Though the GHSA is little known to the general public, endorsement of a total ban could prove pivotal in swaying the debate over the technology America has come to love and the risk it poses on the roadway," The Washington Post reported.
The GHSA is made up of state highway safety officials from across the nation.
The association will decide on endorsement of a complete ban when its annual meeting begins on Sunday, September 26, the Post said.
See the GHSA website for more information.
No comments:
Post a Comment