Distracted driving is worse than ever according to a new AAA study. It found the number of people texting, calling or falling asleep at the wheel has doubled over the past few years. 2,600 drivers completed the survey for AAA and they admit they know how to drive safely, but they don’t always yield to their own best practices.
88 percent of those surveyed view talking on cell phones while driving as a serious threat and even more, 97 percent, view texting and driving that way. But people still do it! 35 percent of drivers admitted to typing or sending text messages while driving within the last month.
Laws in each state differ, but in North Carolina it’s illegal for everyone to read, compose or send text messages while driving. But doing so behind the while of a vehicle that’s stopped is allowed. Adults can talk on their phones behind the wheel, but those under the age of 18 are prohibited from using a cell phone at all while driving -- even hands-free devices.
Authorities want to show teens why it’s against the law. Student actors and Greensboro Police organized the Message to Die For program at Western Guilford High School, Thursday afternoon. It reenacted a crash scene where a texting teen driver had killed her sister and best friend.
“Was that last message really worth getting injured or killed for?” said organizer, Officer J. B. Price of the Greensboro Police Traffic Safety Unit.
Senior and actor Denise Soto says it’s a lesson for kids and parents.
“Not only are teens doing it, adults do it too. Whether it’s, like, looking on the GPS, or checking the news or answering a phone calls, everybody does it while driving and it’s kind of sad,” said Soto.
The no texting while driving law is what’s considered a primary law in North Carolina. That means you can be pulled over and ticketed just for doing that even if you haven’t committed any other traffic violation. You could get hit with a fine in excess of $260 if you get caught.