Should Text Messaging While Driving Be Illegal?

A press release announced the results of a poll today conducted by Harris Interactive and Pinger mobile messaging service. The poll reveals that 9 out of 10 Americans believe that text messaging while driving is dangerous and distracting. Other results from the survey stated that 91% of American adults believe that those who text message while driving are as dangerous as those who have had a couple alcoholic drinks.

Interestingly, the overwhelming majority of people believe text messaging to be dangerous from behind the wheel. Even so, 66% of adults surveyed who use text messaging and who drive a car stated that they read text messages or e-mails from a mobile device while driving. 57% of respondents admitted to sending text messages from their mobile phone while driving. Men and women sent text messages while driving in equal rates. However, 64% of those who said they send text messages while driving were between the ages of 18 and 34. Only 6% of driving texters were 55 or older.

Greg Woock, CEO of Pinger, said this about the trends revealed in the survey, "We all know that distracted driving is dangerous, especially when drivers take their eyes off the road to text message. But, as these numbers show, people want to stay connected when they're on the go. Pinger allows drivers to be productive in a way that's safer."

Pinger is a service that allows drivers to send voice messages to various contacts phones by calling a "Pinger number" one is given when signing up for the service. The individual can input their contacts into the Pinger computer database and then audibly say the contacts name after calling their "Pinger number" on their mobile phone. The individual can then leave a message for one or more people. Pinger then sends a text message to the person or persons to whom the voice message was sent stating that they have received a "Pinger." The person receiving the Pinger message can then call a number that accompanies the message to receive their voice message.

This allows drivers to keep their eyes on the road while sending communications to others. Those receiving Pinger messages, however, are required to look at their phones to retrieve the number that must be called to retrieve the voice message. Individuals doing this while driving could also pose a danger.

State governments have responded to the potential dangers of text messaging while driving. The state of Washington issued a ban on text messaging while driving. At least six other states are considering similar legislation. Among them are California, New York, and Florida.

Text messaging is becoming a major form of communication among Americans. Let's hope that those who use text messaging often will be mindful of the dangers introduced to our roads when one sends or reads these messages while driving.

Sources:

PR Newswire Press Release, http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/includes/contents/printable.jsp?resourceid=3530793

Pinger Website, www.pinger.com