TEXTING AND DRIVING

Ashley Johnson was on her way to work in Asheville (North Carolina) when she took her eyes off the road, crossed the center lane and hit a pick up truck head on. The police found she received a text messa e at ! p.m. "The #$$ call came in %ust two minutes later. & 'ne text cost $( year old Ashley her life.

This is Aaron )eveau, a $* year old from +assachutes. ,hile he was textin and drivin , he crossed over the center line and hit a -year old man. .e and the woman with him were seriously in%ured. The man died later from these in%uries, leavin /ehind three children.

This is $# year old .eather 0erch. 1he was attendin colle e and had %ust paid off her second car. 1he was lookin forward to finishin at a community colle e and movin on to a four year colle e to continue her de ree in forensic science. 'n 2e/ruary !, 34$4 she was drivin home from work only three minutes away from home. 1he was textin and drivin , and lost control of her car and was killed.

This is John 5reen, a 6nited 1tates +arine. .e was sure he was invinci/le. 6ntil the fateful day on +arch $-, 344#. .e was killed not /y a /ullet /ut /y a phone. .e was textin a friend while drivin and lost control of his car and veered off the road. .e was e%ected and killed /y a head in%ury. .e left /ehind his parents, a /rother, and a little irl who will never et to row up with her daddy.

The federal a ency reports that sendin or receivin a text takes a driver7s eyes from the road for an avera e of 8.( seconds, the e9uivalent, when travelin at -- mph, of drivin the len th of an entire foot/all field while /lindfolded.

Textin and drivin has /een shown to /e ( times more dan erous than drivin under the influence. *3!,444 crashes have resulted from textin and drivin %ust this year. $(: resulted in at least one fatality.

1.6 million crashes each year involve drivers using cell phones and texting. (NSC) 11% of all drivers under the age of 2 involved in fatal crashes !ere reported as distracted at the time of the crash. "his age group has the largest proportion of drivers !ho !ere distracted. #or drivers 1$%1& years old involved in fatal crashes' 21 percent of the distracted drivers !ere distracted (y the use of cell phones (N)"S*)

Sending or receiving a text ta+es a driver,s eyes from the road for an average of -.6 seconds' the e.uivalent% at $$ mph%of driving the length of an entire foot(all field' (lind. (/""0) )eadset cell phone use is not su(stantially safer than hand%held use. (/""0) * .uarter of teens respond to a text message once or more every time they drive. 2 percent of teens and 1 percent of parents admit that they have extended' multi%message text conversations !hile driving. (12"30)

* .uarter of teens respond to a text message once or more every time they drive. 2 percent of teens and 1 percent of parents admit that they have extended' multi%message text conversations !hile driving. (12"30) 1 states plus 4ashington 5.C. prohi(it all drivers from using handheld cell phones. 62 states plus 4ashington 5.C. prohi(it novice drivers from cell phone use. *nd 6& states plus 4ashington 5.C. prohi(it all drivers from text messaging.

7*4 8N "9:"0N;
*77 6tah drivers are prohi/ited from textin while drivin . Text messa in is defined in 6tah law as" ;a communication in the form of electronic text or one or more electronic ima es sent /y the actor from a telephone or computer to another person<s telephone or computer /y addressin the communication to the person<s telephone num/er.;

#0N9S <<<
6nder 6tah7s law, someone cau ht textin and drivin is a misdemeanor resultin in= 6p to three months in %ail 6p to a >*-4 fine .owever, if textin and drivin causes an in%ury or fatality (death)" A person could /e facin a felony resultin in= ? 6p to a >$4,444 fine ? 6p to $- years in prison.

C8NS9=19NC9S 0N 8")93 S"*"9S>>.

? California= The maximum penalty for a first&time offender is %ust >34. This is the lowest in the country. ? 2lorida= >!4 fine for the first offense. Any violation after that counts as a movin violation, increasin your insurance premium. Textin and drivin is a secondary offense, drivers have to /e in violation of another law first, like speedin . ? Alaska will slap you with a whoppin >$4,444 fine AN) a year in prison.

,ork Cited .ansen&A/undy, 5en%y" @a%a, Tasneem. A.ow +uch )oes Bour 1tate 2ine 2or Textin and )rivin CD Motherjones.com. +other Jones and the 2oundation for National Ero ress, 3- 'ct. 34$!. ,e/. 38 Nov. 34$!. Fs er, 1on%a" Gennedy, John. ATextin and )rivin Fllr al in 2lorida 1tartin Tuesday.D Palmbeachpost.com. Cox +edia Hroup, !4 1ept. 34$!. ,e/. 38 Nov. 34$!. Tampa /ay, +y 2ox. A 2lorida<s New Textin And )rivin 0aw To Ho Fnto Iffect ... ,ith TyposCD Foxnews.com. 2ox News Network, !4 1ept. 34$!. ,e/. 38 Nov. 34$!. 'nline 1chools. ATextin And )istracted )rivin Fnfo raaphic.D Textinganddrivingsafety.com. Textin News Network, 34$!. ,e/. 34 Nov. 34$!. National .i hway Traffic 1afety Administration http=JJwww.nhtsa. ovJ Kir inia Tech Transportation Fnstitute http=JJwww.vtnews.vt.eduJarticlesJ344#J4*J344#&-*$.html 6niversity of +ichi an Transportation @esearch Fnstitute http=JJwww.umtri.umich.eduJ