North Carolina Distracted Driving: Voters Want Tougher Laws Restricting Cell Phone While Driving Restrictions, Says Media Poll
According to a Charlotte Observer/WCNC-TV Poll, 47% of respondents want the state to ban drivers from any kind of cell phone use while operating their vehicles in North Carolina. 40% of the poll’s respondents think cell phone use should still be allowed but that hand-held devices should be banned.
Current North Carolina legislature prohibits all motorists from texting, but only school bus drivers and motorists younger than 18 are not allowed to talk on a cell phone while operating their autos. Meantime, there are a number of US States that only allow drivers to talk on hands-free devices.
Our Charlotte, North Carolina car accident lawyers believes that the fact that so many people are now realizing how dangerous it is to talk on a cell phone while driving is progress toward preventing distracted driving accidents from happening. However, there are still drivers in North Carolina and South Carolina who text and it is still legal for most motorists to talk on a phone while driving. As a result, people are continuing to get hurt in cell phone driving accidents.
Cell phone use and texting inevitably distract the driver, taking his/her eyes and mind off the road, and slowing down the motorist’s reflexes. These distracted driving habits also increase the risk that the driver might accidentally strike a pedestrian or another car.
Hopefully, we are fast approaching the day when there will be a stigma attached to distracted driving the way there is with driving drunk.
Poll: Driving and phoning shouldn’t mix, Charlotte Observer, February 22, 2010
Cell Phone Laws, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Related Web Resources:
Distracted Driving, National Safety Council
FocusDriven
