Texting Laws Are Saving Teen Lives

Seth Smiley of the Smiley Law Firm is here with today’s edition of the Parents of Teen Drivers Facebook Group. There is some positive news out there regarding Laws that are being enacted saving lives.

I have been reading about some recent data that shows the effect that driving and texting laws are having. Some states have enacted primary texting laws that allow police officers to pull over if they see someone texting or being distracted behind the wheel. There are secondary laws that will enable issuing a ticket if someone is stopped for another reason, and the officer notices the driver has been using the phone.

The recently published study shows that over 10 years, states that have these as a primary law have seen a 29% reduction in driving fatalities for 16 to 19-year-olds. States that have these rules as a secondary law saw the level of deaths go down by 20%.

It is good news, and the article also spoke of the importance of enforcing these laws. Certain areas of Louisiana entire these laws strictly, and they saw excellent results. It needs to become a consistent practice. Another significant factor is that parents are leading by example and having a total prohibition on phone use in the car. It is comparable to seatbelt use back in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. It took a generation for the importance of always using a seatbelt to get through, and now usage is high.

There is also the case of drinking and driving. It is now a frowned-upon practice, but back in the day when those laws were enacted, people were upset about not being allowed to drink in the car. Those laws have saved laws, so it is a process of educating people to protect themselves while driving. I wanted to give you this update as I think it is excellent news, and it means that good parenting, good laws, and law enforcement can lead to teen drivers’ lives being saved.

If you have any questions or feedback, please comment below or shoot me a direct message.

Thank you.