Texting while driving is illegal and unsafe. Why is it the norm?
Texting while driving, texting while walking, texting while biking-I've done it all. How can we stop people like me from killing people like you?
Texting while driving is illegal and unsafe. Why is it the norm?
By Jonathan Purtle
Texting while driving, texting while walking, texting while biking—I must admit I’ve done it all, even though I know it’s a dangerous and dumb thing to do. And I’m not alone. At this very moment, looking out my office window, I can count four drivers texting, checking e-mail, or surfing the web on their phones as their vehicles roll down 15th Street.
Just because everyone is doing something doesn’t mean it’s okay (texting is estimated to have been responsible for 16,000 traffic fatalities between 2001 and 2007). It does mean, however, that it’s harder to get people stop doing it—even when they know it’s dangerous. How can states prevent texting while driving when it’s generally accepted as the norm?
Making it illegal is one obvious option. As described in a previous post, an increasing number of states have banned texting behind the wheel. New Jersey has one; Pennsylvania's new ban took effect in March. These laws, however, are difficult to enforce and may not immediately result in behavior change.
Results from a survey published in Traffic Injury Prevention found little difference in rates of texting while driving between states with and without laws that prohibited the behavior. Twelve percent of drivers in states with texting bans reported texting while driving compared to 14 percent of drivers in states without bans. For drivers ages 18-24, the difference was 45 percent vs. 48 percent.
Making people more knowledgeable about the risks is another option. A survey of 348 college-age drivers found that 92 percent reported reading, 81 percent reported replying, and 70 percent reported initiating texts while driving. Nevertheless, the respondents said they believed that that texting while driving was dangerous. When asked to rate how dangerous on a scale of 1 (not at all) to 7 (extremely) respondents reported an average of 5.28 for initiating a text while driving, 5.28 for replying, and 4.63 for reading. Knowledge of risk alone often is not enough for people to change their behavior when social norms condone it.
Making a moral appeal to stop texting while driving is another option. This approach was effectively used several decades ago by Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Under the leadership of Candy Lightner, MADD’s founder and the mother of a child who was killed by a drunk driver, the organization morally condemned drunk driving—changing social norms around the behavior and prompting the passage of more stringent drunk-driving laws throughout the United States.
So how can we change the culture around texting and driving, and ultimately get people not to do it? For one, laws can indeed shape social norms. While texting bans may not be terribly effective in changing behavior today, they hold promise to gradually stigmatize it over time. Laws that include a moral component could also be effective.
Last month, for example, a committee in the New Jersey Legislature approved a measure that would add using a non-hands-free cell phone while driving to the list of behaviors that are considered “reckless.” If the measure passes, it would allow individuals who kill or injury someone while talking/texting and driving to be charged with vehicular homicide or vehicular assault—bringing penalties more in line with those for drunk driving.
Driving drunk and driving while texting are not the same thing. But as people come to realize that both behaviors can cause serious injury and death to others—as well as to the drivers— social norms are likely to shift and behaviors are likely to change. I for one vow to forever change my texting-while-driving practices. Not because it’s illegal, not because I know it puts my life at risk, but because the prospect of causing serious harm to someone else as a result would be a moral burden to heavy to bear.
Read more about The Public's Health.
Confiscate the vehicle on the spot.— barneygoogle- Certainly here in Philadelphia there are lots of brazen violations that are the norm - ever see people riding their bikes on the sidewalk or cars that make a turn on a red light without stopping first?— He Visto Todo
- This law will do little to curb driving while texting because no one thinks about killing someone when doing so. If people thought about that they wouldn't text.
As it stands its a $200 fine. People think "If I get caught I'll pay it what's the big deal?". The penalties should be on par with DUI. Here is a comparison of the DUI vs. driving while texting laws:
http://www.njdwiesq.com/new-jerseys-new-driving-while-texting-ban-joke/— HankFord - Heavy fines of $2000 plus 30 days in jail for the first offence and increasing geometrically for the next offence. No leniency or probation should be allowed. This might get their attention. teens should face the same punishment.— skunkman
- If it was 16,000 from 2001-2007, I'm not looking forward to the more recent numbers. In 2001-2005, most people were not texting and smart phones didn't really exist. Smart phone Apps allowing facebook and twitter use were invented after 2007, and texting really blew up around then as well.— Loves To Comment
- The others are right- the consequences have to be elevated and they must be severe such that they may act as a deterrent. Then - we must face the cold truth that, like driving under the influence, it is not enough and never will be- the price of living in a free society has it's costs.....— Northcountry
- Anybody hits me in an odd situation, I want to see their phone and hand it to the cops. And beat the snot out of them if I know they were texting. I'm looking for the telltale signs and staying away from 'em. Most of those doing it aren't good drivers to start with.— PhillySubsMac
- Real penalties would work. A friend of mine's 5 year old daughter was killed by someone texting who hit their car. The maximum that person can be sentenced is a year, and they would never even serve half of it. It is seriously as bad as drinking and driving.— Sidewinder7
- ban cell phone use in cars period...why can't people pullover if they need to make a call or text?— SpeakPhilly.com
- In Calif they use to have a problem with drivers throwing trash out of their cars. This problem ended when the state posted signs and enforced $1000 fines for littering on every highway. They just start large fines for using any hand held device while driving. By next year the public will only be using hands free devices.— farley
- The simple answer, people have the attention span of two-year-olds anymore. "Me can't wait to touch shiny thing. Me must touch it now!" Start suspending licenses for this nonsense, and you'll see people stop doing it real quick.— Hemingway
- The simple answer, people have the attention span of two-year-olds anymore. "Me can't wait to touch shiny thing. Me must touch it now!" Start suspending licenses for this nonsense, and you'll see people stop doing it real quick.— Hemingway
- Automobiles should have the Technology that when you get into your car all cell phones are disabled.— KOOLK777
- Glad to see no one defending texting while driving. It's been going on far too long. You'd think fuel delivery truckers would be banned from texting while driving, & now all CDL drivers are banned from texting while driving a commerical veh. Such was not the case 15 yrs. ago. While driving a gas hauler, if you didn't reply immed. to a sat. comm. msg., the boss would be all over you. They didn't care why you
c/n reply right now! You'd expect safety to be paramount for gasoline haulers, not @ Wendell Transport!! Safety was only a word, not a policy, til something went bad. IMHO texters are as dangerous as DUI
drivers & need as severe punishment as a DUI. Wise up people!!— Afogtrkr - Leaving MVC last week I saw a young mother in her Cadillac with 2 carseats with 2 babies on board and NO HANDS ON STEERING WHEEL.
She was on 295 North and driving at 65-70 and TEXTING.
YIKES!— pesticide
