Campaigns against distracted driving have been attracting progressively more attention from various sources recently.
This has placed the issue of texting while driving front and center in the minds of the American public.
According to the Boston Globe, the Jonas Brothers and Oprah Winfrey are among the most prominent public figures who are actively pushing anti-distracted driving initiatives. A spokeswoman for U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood praised the involvement of celebrities in these efforts, and said that they “will certainly help us to prevent the thousands of needless deaths and injuries being caused by distracted driving every year.”
A multitude of studies have demonstrated that drivers who attempt to talk on the phone or send text messages have a much more difficult time keeping their attention on the road. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that nearly a quarter of all the automobile accidents that occurred in 2008 were due at least in part to cell phone use.
A distracted driving incident will stay on a motorist’s record for some time, and could negatively affect their chances to get car insurance at reasonable rates, experts say.