It looks like the New York State has officially banned texting and driving. From now on you should definitely stop sending SMS messages while driving. If you happen to get caught you will pay a fine up to $150. Next time you text and drive in New York you’d better ask yourself if it’s worth doing it. Not because there is a fine but because texting and driving is actually more dangerous than driving under the influence. Other states have similar laws in place and we can assume that more will follow so start getting used to stopping the car if you absolutely need to answer some of those incoming messages.

via poughkeepsiejournal

AT&T likes to be considered a socially responsible company, and that is probably the reason why they are planning to launch a big campaign related to SMS texting and driving at the same time, which we all know is not good for your health and can be a disaster if you don’t pay attention. Anyhow, Randall Stephenson CEO of AT&T announced today what is the intended goal:

“Our goal is to send a simple, yet vital, message to all wireless users: don’t text and drive.”

The campaign will include some of the following topics:
- employee education, to prohibit the act of sending a text message while driving;
- defensive driving classes for employees that must do some driving while on the job;
- launching AT&T cellphones with a message like “don’t-text-and-drive”;
- public service announcements with famous people;
- online resources;

We reported to you late last month that the Senate was gearing up to introduce a national ban on texting while driving. Well it seems that Utah has beat them to the punch introducing their own law that would have offenders facing up to 15 years in prison.

In fact, Utah will now view texting while driving as a severe offense comparable to drunk driving.

Read (NYTimes)

It seems that just yesterday the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute did a study that showed texting while driving will give you a 23x greater risk of getting into a crash.

Today, reports suggest that a group of Democrats have banded together to introduce legislation that would effectively ban texting while driving throughout the United States.

While this may be of annoyance to those who love to text, it’s probably for the best considering the risks associated with it.

via PhoneScoop

A bill introduced by Colorado Senator Claire Levy (D-Boulder) and Representative Bob Bacon (D-Fort Collins) on Monday if passed into law will prohibit teens, school bus operators, cab drivers and any other motor vehicle carrier regulated by the Public Utilities Commission from using a wireless phone while in motion. All other drivers would be allowed to use a cell and drive at the same time so long as they did so through a hands-free device like Blue-Tooth or a speaker phone.

The bill would make driving while talking on a cell phone a ‘Class A’ violation punishable by a fine of as much as $100. Several recent studies have shown that drivers who talk on their cell phones while driving are more likely to get into accidents than those who put their full attention on the road. The bill is likely to gain broad support but may die in the house before ever coming to a vote. Either way, this could be a good time to invest in that headset you’ve been wanting.