One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Study: Everyone's Ignoring Those No-Texting-While-Driving Laws
Photo by George Fairbairn via Shutterstock
A study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that texting while driving has only increased as states have rolled out laws meant to crack down on the common but deadly practice.
The NHTSA conducted a stake-out out at different intersections around the country, taking snapshots of drivers to find out what else they're doing while they're supposed to have their eyes on the road. It also conducted a phone survey of 6,000 drivers 18 or older a year ago. Here's a round-up of stats from the Associated Press' story on the study:
- 35 states have a ban on texting while driving
- Based on the stakeout, just under 1 percent (.9 percent) of drivers are texting or using some sort of hand-held device at any given time
- Last year when they conduct the same stakeout .6 percent of drivers were texting behind the wheel
- 18 percent of drivers admitted to pollsters that they have sent messages from behind the wheel
- About half of drivers 21 to 24 admit the same thing
- 3,092 car crash deaths in 2010 — including this one — were attributed to distracted driving (the NHTSA is just starting to keep track of this so it's hard to tell if this has gotten better or worse)
The NHTSA says it has a solution to this problem: doing a better job of enforcing the laws already on the books. Pilot projects in Syracuse and Hartford showed that high-profile education campaigns and more ticketing reduced the number of distracted drivers on the road by 57 percent and 75 percent respectively.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
