AAA has commended Wisconsin for being the 25th state to outlaw text messaging by all drivers, as the organization’s effort to pass bans in all 50 states has reached its halfway point.
Gov. Jim Doyle signed the bill into law earlier this month, making Wisconsin the sixth state this year to ban text messaging while driving. AAA expects several more states to enact similar legislation this year.
“Wisconsin gets us halfway to AAA’s campaign goal of passing text messaging bans for all drivers in all 50 states,” AAA president and CEO Robert Darbelnet said in a prepared statement. “Last year, 12 states enacted text messaging bans for all drivers and we anticipate that several more states will act against this dangerous source of driver distraction this year.”
Darbelnet continued, “Texting while driving is associated with significant physical and cognitive distractions and the proliferation of the practice is endangering all users of our nation’s roadways. Surveys show the overwhelming majority of Americans agree that this behavior is dangerous and they support text messaging bans. AAA urges legislators in states without texting bans to pass laws this year.”
The AAA has plenty of research to back up its concerns about the dangers of texting and driving. Research conducted over the last two years by the Auto Club of Southern California speaks to the benefit of California’s texting-while- driving ban.
Observations in Orange County in July last year showed that texting had dropped about 70 percent, to 0.4 percent of all drivers, in the first six months of California’s ban.
Observations conducted in late March and early April this year showed that texting had increased to 1.1 percent, but remained below the 1.4 percent usage rate observed prior to the law taking effect.
The Southern California research offers evidence that legislation outlawing text messaging by all drivers can have a positive effect on driver behavior, but the upturn in texting rates shown in the latest research illustrates the need for visible enforcement, significant penalties and continued public education.
Legislation to establish or improve an existing ban on text messaging while driving is currently being considered in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Vermont.
The states that now prohibit text messaging by all drivers: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
The District of Columbia also has a texting ban.
“AAA Wisconsin applauds the Wisconsin State Legislature and Governor Doyle for passing thisnew law that will significantly enhance driving safety across our state,” AAA Wisconsin regional president Tom Frymark said in his prepared statement. “We’ll continue to make drivers aware of the dangers of texting while driving and of the importance of obeying this new law.”
Wisconsin’s law will become effective Nov. 1, as the Badger State joins Michigan, Kentucky, Nebraska, Iowa and Wyoming in enacting text messaging bans for all drivers this year.
The dates when those respective laws take effect are:
- Michigan – July 1, 2010
- Kentucky – Effective immediately when signed on April 15, penalties effective Jan. 1, 2011
- Nebraska – July 15, 2010
- Iowa – July 1, 2010, penalties effective July 1, 2011
- Wyoming – July 1, 2010
