Texting behind the wheel on the rise as are deaths from motorcycle crashes

OFF THE WIRE

http://www.examiner.com/healthy-living-in-huntsville/texting-behind-the-wheel-on-the-rise-as-are-deaths-from-motorcycle-crashes
.Texting behind the wheel on the rise as are deaths from motorcycle crashes

Karen Petersen, Huntsville Healthy Living Examiner December 9, 2011 -
Texting is bad for your health, say experts. At least when you are behind the wheel. Even so, federal safety officials announced Thursday that texting while driving is on the rise across the U.S.
This despite texting while driving bans that have been implemented in cities and states across the country, including Huntsville, Ala.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released its findings, which it reached by staking out selected stoplights and intersections to count people using cellphones and hand-held Web devices that allow them to text, view directions, check emails, surf the Internet, or play games.
The report shows that, at any given time, just under 1 percent of drivers were texting or manipulating hand-held devices. Two out of 10 drivers say they've sent messages from behind the wheel.
The activity increased to 0.9 percent of drivers in 2010, up from 0.6 percent the year before.
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There was a separate telephone telephone survey, however, in which 18 percent of motorists admitted they've sent texts or emails while at the wheel. Not surprisingly, that number increases to 50 percent among tech-savvy younger drivers, ages 21 to 24.
The survey also found that most drivers will answer a cell phone call while driving and most will continue to drive while they talk. NHTSA surveyed 6,000 drivers ages 18 or older in the national poll, which was also released Thursday.
There were an estimated 3,092 deaths in crashes affected by distractions in 2010, the safety administration said. The agency used a new method to acquire a more accurate snapshot of distracted driving deaths and can't be compared to tallies from previous years, NHTSA officials said.
Overall, 32,885 people died in traffic crashes in the United States in 2010, a nearly 3 percent drop and the lowest number of fatalities since 1949. Traffic deaths have been declining steadily for several years.
Safety researchers generally attribute the lower deaths to a decline in driving because of the poor economy combined with better designed and equipped cars and stronger safety laws.
There were more motorcycle deaths in 2010, though – 4,502. That is a 0.7 percent increase. Motorcycle deaths have doubled since 1995.
As far as texting while driving, Pennsylvania recently became the 35th state to ban the hazard. In Alabama, only "novice" drivers, 16 and 17-year-olds, are not allowed to use cell phones while driving. Huntsville implemented its city-wide ban prohibiting all drivers from texting while driving in 2010.
To find the laws in your state, click here. . http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html