subject: The Real Failure Of California's Ban On Texting [print this page] The Real Failure Of California's Ban On Texting
On September 24, 2008, California hoped it had won a major battle in the war on texting. That day, the then current governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, made it illegal to text while operating a vehicle anywhere in the state of California. Over two years since passing this monumental law, new research has surfaced claiming that the bill could be having a result that is opposite from the intended impact.
Texting and Driving Has Increased
According to the Automobile Club of Southern California, a survey of drivers revealed that texting while driving appears to becoming more frequent. In fact soon after the texting law was passed, The Automobile Club of Southern California conducted a survey of drivers that claimed that only about 0.5% were texting while driving. However, when another survey was performed close to a year later, texting and driving had more than doubled to 1.1%.
Researchers have referred to texting and driving as the "perfect storm," because not only are drivers' minds distracted, but they are also taking their hands off the wheel. Many studies have demonstrated that texting while driving drastically increases the likelihood of an accident occurring.
California Car Accidents Have Risen
A recent study by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) found that texting bans weren't curbing the number of car accidents. In fact, researchers were aghast to find that the instances of auto accidents in California had actually gone up by 12%. This was far and away the largest jump in accidents among all US states that had passed no-texting laws.
How could the number of California car accidents have actually increased? "Clearly drivers did respond to the bans somehow, and what they might have been doing was moving their phones down and out of sight when they texted, in recognition that what they were doing was illegal. This could exacerbate the risk of texting by taking drivers' eyes further from the road and for a longer time," explained Adrian Lund, president of both HLDI and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. This act of deception by California drivers who choose to continue the practice of texting, despite the ban, underscores the inherent ineffectiveness of many of these first-wave texting-ban laws.
Distracted Driving Accidents Cause Major Injuries
It is unfortunate that people are still making the decision to engage in dangerous driver distractions. If you have been hurt in a car accident caused by a distracted driver, you may be able to hold that person liable. You should talk with an experienced Southern California car accident attorney who will be able to explain your legal rights.
