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New Texting Law in West Virginia -Texting While Driving Four Times More Dangerous Than Drunk Driving

By Jeffery Robinette

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 03Mar2012
Word count: 443
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A bill that would outlaw texting and using a hand-held cell phone while driving was passed unanimously by the West Virginia Senate Judiciary Committee. Texting while driving would now be a primary offense. Using a hand-held cell phone would still be a secondary offense. A person who texts while driving is twenty-three times more likely to be involved in an accident.

The West Virginia Trucking Association also supports the bill. Truckers are already prohibited from texting or talking on hand-held phones while driving.

Texting while driving is a dangerous epidemic on America's roadways. In 2009 alone, nearly 5,500 people were killed and 450,000 more were injured in distracted driving crashes.

The Senate bill sets the fines at $50 for the first offense; $100 for the second offense, and $200 for each subsequent offense. Drivers would be penalized three points for a third texting offense.

Governor Tomblin supports the bill. The bill will now go to the full Senate, and a similar version is being considered in the House.

Key Facts and Statistics For Distracted Driving from distracteddriving.org.

In 2009, 5,474 people were killed in crashes involving driver distraction, and an estimated 448,000 were injured. (NHTSA)

16% of fatal crashes in 2009 involved reports of distracted driving. (NHTSA)

20% of injury crashes in 2009 involved reports of distracted driving. (NHTSA)

In the month of June 2011, more than 196 billion text messages were sent or received in the US, up nearly 50% from June 2009. (CTIA)

Teen drivers are more likely than other age groups to be involved in a fatal crash where distraction is reported. In 2009, 16% of teen drivers involved in a fatal crash were reported to have been distracted. (NHTSA)

40% of all American teens say they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put people in danger. (Pew) Drivers who use hand-held devices are 4 times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (Monash University)

Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted. (VTTI)

Sending or receiving a text takes a driver's eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent-at 55 mph-of driving the length of an entire football field, blind. (VTTI)

Headset cell phone use is not substantially safer than hand-held use. (VTTI)

Using a cell phone while driving - whether it's hand-held or hands-free delays a driver's reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent. (University of Utah)

Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%. (Carnegie Mellon)

http://www.robinettelaw.com A bill that would outlaw texting and using a hand-held cell phone while driving was passed unanimously by the West Virginia Senate Judiciary Committee. If you or your loved one has been injured in a car accident by a distracted driver, please contact us at the Robinette Legal Group, PLLC.

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