State leads nation in texts while driving
'Dangerous' practice under much scrutiny
By Prentiss Findlay
Top states
South Carolina 40 percent
Tennessee 38 percent
Georgia 37 percent
Maryland, Louisiana 36 percent
Virginia 35.6 percent
OMG! Did U C? SC#1. LOL!
If that makes sense, this story could be about you.
South Carolina is No. 1 for people who report that they text message on their cell phone while driving, according to a survey sponsored by a company that offers a solution to the problem.
It's no laughing matter. There are reports of drivers in Tennessee and Colorado who have caused fatalities because they were distracted while texting. State lawmakers around the country take the issue seriously.
The company, Vlingo, sells software that it says can translate voice to text on a cell phone, eliminating the need to tap out a message. It hired a firm that tallied 4,820 responses to a "self-administered" online survey.
The Palmetto State came out at the top, with 40 percent reporting they reached out and touched someone with text while driving. Arizona had the lowest rate, 17 percent.
"It's taking your eyes off the road," Mount Pleasant Police Sgt. Steve Meadows said.
Driving while talking on cell phones has gotten the most legislative attention.
Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, California and the District of Columbia outlaw the use of handheld phones while driving, and 38 states are considering 133 bills that would regulate their use behind the wheel, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
A study conducted by Nationwide Mutual Insurance found that 19 percent of all drivers — and 37 percent of drivers between the ages of 18 and 27 — send text messages while behind the wheel.
"It's too dangerous. If you're texting, you have to look at your phone. It clouds your judgment," said Lauren Ellison, 26, of Charleston.
A bill filed in the South Carolina General Assembly this session would allow law enforcement to stop 15- and 16-year-old drivers if they are caught text messaging or talking on a phone without a hands-free device, although the provisions allow for emergencies.
But House members sent the bill back to committee in April, ending its chances of becoming law this year.
While the state Department of Public Safety does not track accidents involving cell phones, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that using a cell phone, including hands-free devices, left drivers four times as likely to get into an accident serious enough to cause injury.
More than half of the states place some restriction on cell phone use by drivers. The majority of restrictions are on school bus drivers and teens, according to the institute.
Reach Prentiss Findlay at pfindlay@postandcourier.com or 937-5711.
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Comments
ForPnC (anonymous) says...
I've got a solution. STOP IT ALREADY!
When you get home write a damned letter already!
May 25, 2008 at 4:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Slick50 (anonymous) says...
A study conducted by Nationwide Mutual Insurance found that 19 percent of all drivers - and 37 percent of drivers between the ages of 18 and 27 - send text messages while behind the wheel.
Any of our esteemed legislature get it? Seems we went down this path once this month and they opted to keep the status quo.
May 25, 2008 at 6:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
moonpie (anonymous) says...
THOMAS why is this the governments fault? How about personal responsibility. You sound like a Katrina victim!
Way to go SC, number 1 in something! Sort of correlates with the being 49th or 50th in education, doesn't it?
May 25, 2008 at 7:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rjcontego (anonymous) says...
can you say free advertising...P&C hoodwinked again..haha...just about every company does something like this these days..where are the stories the other "studies" on (insert topic) P&C!
May 25, 2008 at 10:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
promopatrick (anonymous) says...
This is ridiculous.
So this software that the company that funded the study is selling will turn a voicemail into a text message.
So why not save yourself the expense of the software and just leave whoever you're calling a voicemail to begin with?
If you absolutely cannot wait to get where you're going before picking up the cell phone -- and 99.9% of the time, you CAN -- then why not plug in your hands-free headphones or stick that Bluetooth earbob on your ear and make your call that way while keeping BOTH HANDS on the steering wheel?
May 25, 2008 at 3:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MSC (anonymous) says...
I'm guessing they were mostly women. Look around, 9 out of every 10 drivers using the cell phone are women. Yak, Yak, Yak! Probably talking about shoes, or what "SHE" wore to dinner the other night.
May 25, 2008 at 5:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
abitskeptical (anonymous) says...
or maybe they are checking up on a child...
Funny, but I see a lot of men yak yaking on the phone while driving...usually as they are pulling out of a parking lot onto the highway.
May 25, 2008 at 9:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
prosperous_hb (anonymous) says...
Are these numbers really accurate? I know it happens b/c I at times text when I drive, but why is that SC is the highest in crime rate, accident and lowest in education? It sure does not keep people from moving here though.
May 26, 2008 at 2:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
PalmettoDP (anonymous) says...
A "self-administered" online survey? That doesn't sound very scientific.
May 27, 2008 at 8:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
upstate2lowcountry (anonymous) says...
So... what I am gathering is more people in South Carolina admitted in a survey to texting while driving? That really isn't the same thing as an unbiased study, is it? Darn that good ol' SC honesty.
May 27, 2008 at 9:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
eyfigueroa (anonymous) says...
Let's be honest. Most of us intelligent responsible drivers aren't really surprised by this.
I see it everday.
May 27, 2008 at 12:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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