subject: Death Toll From Texting-while-driving Accidents Continues To Rise In California [print this page] With the advent of text messaging, people were not only introduced to a new medium of communication but also perhaps the most dangerous form of distracted driving: with hands, eyes, and thoughts focused on the small keypad and screen, little attention is paid to the road. As the popularity of text messaging has increased-nearly 5 billion text messages where sent each day of the last half of 2009-so too has the death toll from texting-while-driving accidents.
Since 2008, shortly before California prohibited the use of cell phones while driving, the Automobile Club of Southern California has been conducting studies of cell phone use and texting among drivers passing through Orange County. Taking random samples of 4,000 each time, the Auto Club documented a 70% decline in texting while behind the wheel within just four months of the January 2009 ban. The numbers, however, steadily climbed, with the Auto Club recording nearly twice as many drivers texting by July 2010. Whereas 1.4% of motorists were observed texting in mid to late 2008, 2.7% were caught in the act last July.
Out of all the drivers surveyed by the Auto Club, young women were observed texting-while-driving more frequently than young men; however, young men were more likely to use iPods and similar devices.
The drivers observed texting the most were young women, with 4.3% texting at any time. While only 2.1% of young men were seen texting messaging, 3.1% were observed using ipods and smart phones compared to only 1.6% of young women. In a poll conducted by Seventeen Magazine, 84% of teenagers reported that they were aware of the dangers of sending text messages from behind the wheel, while 86% admitted to engaging in the risky behavior despite knowing the dangers.
Why hasn't the ban worked? Drivers tend to keep the devices in their laps, out of view from others on the road, including the authorities. If a driver is caught texting, the citation only amounts to a $20 fine, with no detriment to the individual's driving record. A bill to increase increase the penalties by adding a point to the records of drivers caught texting was recently defected in the Legislature.
Last August, Metrolink and its former train-operating contractor attempted to avoid a timely and costly trial by offering victims of the train accident a $200-million settlement. Whether they will accept the settlement or pursue a better one in court has yet to be resolved. The accident they endured was tragic and its cause unsettling to commuters everywhere--on highways, on railroads, and in the sky--as texting-while-driving remains a pervasive problem throughout the country.
