Driving inTEXTicated: Famous last words

Oklahoma lawmakers are considering legislation to ban texting while driving.

By TEDDYE SNELL

Have you ever stopped to consider how society managed to function prior to cell phones, answering machines, computers, and more recently, the infamous text message?

Digital communication has expanded exponentially over the past five years, but not without some serious growing pains.

Following a number of recent fatalities linked to the activity, texting while driving has become an issue for state lawmakers.

According to a recent report by the Associated Press, 13 traffic fatalities over the past year have been attributed to drivers who were distracted by texting or other portable electronic devices. During the next legislative session, legislators can expect to debate a bill by Rep. Sue Tibbs, R-Tulsa, and Rep. Danny Morgan, D-Prague, to ban the handheld use of electronic devices while driving.

Rep. Mike Brown, D-Tahlequah, has been discussing the subject for over a year.

“I host a program in schools where visit with kids about current topics,” he said. “Over a year ago, I met with one group who chose texting as their topic for debate. While they didn’t want to give up their cell phone use while driving, texting was controversial.”

Brown said one of the youth swore he could hold his hand outside the car and return a text message without looking.

“I have a hard enough time just answering the phone while driving, much less trying to read a text,” said Brown. “I use Bluetooth, which allows me to talk on the phone hands-free, and I also have a voice-recognition application for texting that’s hands-free, and I don’t even have to look at the phone. Texting is not something I think you can do while driving and remain safe.”

Brown believes that technology may catch up with the desire to text, but until then, a law may be necessary to keep the public safe.

“It will take some time,” said Brown. “We’re getting there; it’s just a matter of when. Sooner is better. There will be bills filed this year, and I think it will be bipartisan effort.”

Brad Robertson, public information officer for the Tahlequah Police Department, said Tahlequah has its share of crashes, and texting could be adding to the problem.

“While we don’t have any hard data on the number of wrecks caused by texting, we do know any sort of distraction while driving can be dangerous,” said Robertson.

He agreed that legislation could help the situation, but also believes technology will eventually advance to reduce the risks of distraction while using electronic devices in the car.

The Daily Press conducted an unscientific, online poll, asking readers how they felt about cell phones while driving. Of 91 respondents, 40.66 percent said they believe texting should be banned, as well as talking without a hands-free device, compared to 27.47 percent who want texting banned, but believe talking on cell phones is OK. A little over 18 percent of respondents said both texting and talking – hands-free or otherwise – should be banned, compared to 8.79 percent, who say there should be no restriction whatsoever on cell phone use.

Chuck Mai, spokesman for AAA Oklahoma, said his organization will support a ban on texting while driving.

“The new technologies that help us multitask in our everyday lives, when combined with increasingly popular social media sites, present hard-to-resist challenges for the typically safe driver,” said Mai. “Enacting texting bans for drivers can help halt the spread of this dangerous practice among motorists and is a key legislative priority for AAA in Oklahoma and around the country.”

Currently, 18 states and the District of Columbia have laws that address text messaging by all drivers. Two more states have laws that prohibit teens and other new drivers from texting while driving.

“AAA will be actively lobbying in Oklahoma this year to pass an anti-texting law,” said Mai.

AAA and others made presentations before the Oklahoma House of Representatives Public Safety Committee at a special interim study on the matter Oct. 8 in the State Capitol.

“And we continue to warn drivers of the dangers of distracted driving through public education, driver training, and other safety programs,” said Mai.

The AAA legislative push to enact texting while driving bans is supported by new research released by the Auto Club of Southern California, showing the texting-while-driving ban implemented in California in January 2009 appears to be reducing texting by drivers.

Prior to the California texting-while-driving ban, researchers observed 1.4 percent of drivers at any point in time in Orange County, Calif., were texting while driving. Following the law’s taking effect, just 0.4 percent of drivers were observed texting – a decline of about 70 percent.

“I’m pleased to see the frequency of texting while driving dropped after the texting ban went into effect in California,” said Mai. “We hope this new data will help influence lawmakers here in Oklahoma to take action and pass similar legislation banning texting while driving.”

The popularity of texting has grown quickly over the past four years. According to the wireless industry trade association, CTIA, the number of monthly texting messages reached 110 billion at the end of 2008, a more than 11-fold increase in three years. Studies have shown texting while driving to be an extremely dangerous practice for drivers because of the extended time spent not looking at the road.

Sen. Jim Wilson, D-Tahlequah, believes the Legislature will pass a law during the next year on texting and driving.

“But probably not other device uses,” he said. “There have been efforts in the past to prohibit cell phone use and other phone distractions – all of which have failed. There is usually a push-back from those who don’t want government telling them what to do. Quite frankly, it is probably the biggest issue I hear about. Everyone seems to have a story about near-crashes because of cell phone use.

“On the other hand, I was just thinking yesterday on my way back from Adair County how I could explain to my wife why I didn’t answer her call if a ban on use while driving existed. Anyway, I see the law that we pass as being limited to texting and not dialing or talking.”