States Prosecuting for Driving and Texting

Driving and texting used to just be a bad and dangerous idea. Now in many states it is illegal and can get you a DWT or Driving While Texting ticket.

Why are states cracking down on those who drive and text? Studies have shown it is extremely dangerous. Lawmakers began to notice the fact that the death rate amount distracted drivers began climbing since 2004, and that most of these drivers were inexperienced motorists.

To prove a point, in an experiment, researchers enlisted 21 teens between the ages of 16 and 18 to take part in a series of simulated driving situations. Each teen sat in the bucket seat of a simulated car, driving the vehicle through simulated scenery, in rural, then urban settings in 10-minute time blocks. First the subjects drove through the virtual scenes without distractions of any kind. Then they drove through the same scenes while text messaging, talking on a cell phone, and finally while operating an MP3 music player. Except when the teens weren't distracted by a device requiring finger movement, the driving was erratic with weaving in and out of lanes as well as running over virtual people.

Because the drivers in the experiment were looking down, most were not unable to stay within the lines nor were they able to respond quickly to obstacles. Researchers noticed that each person's driving was worse while they were texting. Add to this research from the University of Utah which adds that texting delays a driver's reaction time as much as a blood-alcohol content of 0.08% -- the legal limit.

According to a recent study by the American Automobile Association, the risk of a car accident increases by 50% for people who text message while driving. In another study by Nationwide Insurance, those who text and drive are often between the ages of 18 and 27. Those who drive while texting drops to 14 percent for those between the ages of 28 to 44 and two percent of drivers ages 45 to 60 admitted to it.

The problem is serious enough that even the Obama administration banned federal employees from text messaging while driving and said it would consider new restrictions on cellphone use by rail, truck and bus drivers. The executive order banned federal employees from text messaging while driving on the job or in a government-owned vehicle.

In states where it is illegal to drive and text, police are finding it difficult to enforce this new law but this doesn't mean when caught fines are light. Drivers in Washington have been fined $101 if found guilty of DWT. Drivers in Oregon face a much bigger fine with fees of close to $720.

What can you do if you have a client or boss who sends text messages to you and yet you are driving and unable to read the messages? One idea is to use companies that provide technology which transcribes your emails or text messages and send them back to you through your voice mail. But this technology is new and of course, isn't cheap.

For most people, receiving a text message that has to be read or responded back to can often wait until one is parked or stopped. Considering the danger rate, most are looking at the latter and asking themselves whether responding through text messaging while driving is that important. After all, it wasn't long ago text messaging technology wasn't even in existence and people seemed to survive quite well.