Texting While Driving - More dangerous than drunk driving?
Jul 07, 2011 by Holly M. King
Is texting while driving more dangerous than driving while impaired? This article will highlight what you need to know about the relationship between texting and driving and driving while impaired.
In December of 2009, North Carolina enacted a new law that prohibits drivers from sending text messages or emails on their cellular phones while on a road or highway. This law expanded a previous law, which prohibited such behavior only in drivers under the age of 18. Violators of this new law can face a fine of up to $100, plus court costs; however, no driver’s license points are assessed for a violation of this law. Many people believe that violations of the "texting while driving" law will be hard to catch and even harder to prove in the courtroom.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the number of mobile-phone subscriptions has risen to 250 million during the past decade. NHTSA also reports that as many as 16,000 people in the United States died between 2001 and 2007 as a result of texting or talking on cell phones while driving. In addition, recent studies have shown that nearly 73 percent of all drivers use their cell phones while driving, with nearly half of all drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 admitting to texting while driving. The AAA Carolina’s Foundation for Traffic Safety reported that drivers who use mobile phones while driving were four times more likely to crash than others – a rate comparable to the risk of crashing for impaired drivers, dubbing texting while driving “the new drunk driving.”
Arguably, North Carolina has some of the toughest DWI/DUI (Driving While Impaired) laws in the country, and a conviction for driving while impaired can result in stiff penalties, including a loss of driving privileges, community service, substance abuse treatment, jail time or probation, and expensive fines – and the punishments are getting more severe all the time. However, texting while driving, an activity that many believe to be as dangerous as drinking and driving, seems to be commonplace in our society. As new communication devices appear on the market daily, allowing us to tweet, text, and facebook our way through the day, let’s remember the dangers associated with such behaviors and take a break from those cell phones when we are behind the wheel!
Categories: Criminal Defense,
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