 Distracted Driving
Overview
With new technology being introduced every day, distracted driving is a major traffic safety issue. Although lawmakers at the state, federal and local level are examining a wide variety of issues related to driver focus, the most common concern is the potential distraction caused by cell phones and other technology in the car. More than 220 million people in the United States subscribe to wireless services, and it is estimated that as many as 80 percent of those subscribers use their phones while driving. Many states have passed laws related to cell phone use in the car. Six states — California, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Utah and Washington — and the District of Columbia have banned hand-held phone use by all drivers. Legislatures in other states have prohibited cell phone use by younger drivers or school bus drivers, improved data collection or limited local authority on the issue. NCSL closely monitors the latest developments in distracted driving legislation and has published numerous reports on the topic. Additionally, NCSL's Driver Focus and Technology Database provides current information on the latest in state activity.
Publications
- "Traffic Safety and Public Health: State Legislative Action 2008," Transportation Series No. 33, April 2008, by Melissa Savage, Anne Teigen and Nicholas Farber.
- "Driving While Texting: States Address a New Trend," LegisBrief, January 2008 by Matt Sundeen.
- "Traffic Safety and Public Health: State Legislative Action 2007," Transportation Series No. 32, December 2007, by Melissa Savage, Matt Sundeen, and Anne Teigen.
- "Traffic Safety and Public Health: State Legislative Action 2006," Transportation Series No. 31, March 2007, by Melissa Savage, Matt Sundeen and Jeanne Mejeur.
- Cell Phones and Highway Safety: 2006 State Legislative Update, by Matt Sundeen.
- Cell Phones and Highway Safety: 2005 State Legislative Update, by Matt Sundeen.
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