In a news release published earlier today, PEMCO reveals that more and more Washington drivers are using hand-held mobile devices while driving (and admit it, too).
Over the past 20 months, the number of people who admit to talking on their cell phone while driving (without a hands-free device) increased from 17% to 41%. (That said, the number of folks who use a hands-free device also increased, from 17% in 2007 to 43% in 2009.)
More staggering, the number of people who text while driving increased 7-fold, from 3% to 22%!
The poll found that parents of teenagers who are 55 or younger are the most frequent culprits of distracting driving behaviors. Who would have thought?
Reading and posting to social networking sites are among most common activities, closely followed by using a phone’s GPS function, checking road conditions, or receiving traffic updates.
We are quite surprised by these statistics, especially since they follow just a little over two years after Washington’s texting ban took effect on January 1st, 2008, and a mere 20 months after the cell-phone ban took effect in July 2008.
Now, in an effort to combat distracted driving, lawmakers in Olympia are debating a measure that would make texting or talking on the phone a primary offense, triggering a $124 fine. The new law would also completely ban all use of mobile devices while driving for young drivers with an instruction or intermediate permit (with the exception of making an emergency call or to prevent injury).
If you’d like to read PEMCO’s full report, please click here: http://www.pemco.com/about_us/Pages/Hand_heldcell_phoneusageclimbs.aspx