United States Laws Regarding Texting While Driving
Posted by Infamous | Filed under Communications, General, Home And Family, Technology, Vehicles
It seems that all the teens these days are doing a dangerous act- and for some states, it isn’t illegal! Texting and driving is a new act to address as mobile phones become more popular. Studies show that with proper legislation, driver safety will surge.
Since there is no federal law that says texting while driving is a punishable crime, each state has to individually create and pass legislation to regulate it. Some states such as Washington have banned the act of texting completely. Other states have made it a rule that you have to be a certain age, often 21, before you can legally text and drive.
Oddly, some states have instead opted to only ban texting while driving for certain ages. Missouri is a good example, as it bans texting while driving for any teens under the age of 21. Those over this age are still able to do it, at least by current laws. The current fine for Missouri is only $200 for those who are caught or admitted to the act- perhaps too low, as some proponents of harsher legislation claim.
Some studies show that text messaging while driving have increased the chance of an auto accident by over 400%. This can be compared to driving while under the influence, which has also become taboo in the United States. Smart parents are starting to teach their kids that if they valued their own safety, and those of others, that they would refrain from texting while driving- even if it’s only to send two words or less.
Mobile phone companies are starting to make advances in newer technologies that make the act of texting a thing of the past. Voice recognition software is one of the solutions that isn’t quite perfected. While voice recognition can get a high accuracy rate, it is never perfect. Different dialects can also be hard to track. In addition, background noise could interfere with how the software picks up different words of speech.
The only real solution to texting while driving seems to be to actually call the person you intend on contacting. After all, mobile phones do primarily function as a means of speaking to another person. Whenever possible, those who currently text while drive should make the phone call instead. If that isn’t possible, then talking to the recipient at a later date is a much greater idea that potentially putting yourself at risk for an auto accident.
Closing Comments
There are many documented cases of accidents reporting texting and driving as the cause. Don’t be like those who made poor choices- limit the amount of time you text while driving or abolish it altogether. It isn’t worth sending a text message at the cost of your own life.
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