Talking/Texting While Driving Might Become Illegal

There is indisputable evidence pointing to the dangers of texting while driving, but even so, the practice is common on the streets and highways of the United States.

But Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) is trying to make the act become illegal and is pushing a bill through Congress to that end. Her Safe Drivers Act of 2011, which she just introduced in the U.S. House, would ban hands-free phone use while driving by federal law. It would supersede existing laws that some states, including Connecticut, have already passed.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), in 2009, 5,400 people died as a result of distracted driving. McCarthy's proposed legislation directs DOT to issue a national standard banning all drivers from holding mobile devices – except in the case of an emergency. Additionally, the DOT will study whether even talking on a cell phone while operating an automobile is dangerous. Cognitive distraction studies show that drivers using phones are four times as likely to cause a crash as other drivers.

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