97% of Americans Want Ban on Texting While Driving

It appears there’s one thing our heavily divided nation can agree upon: ban texting while driving.

An overwhelming 97% want the practice to be illegal, according to a recent CBS News/New York Times survey. Only 1% said it should be legal.

This opinion cuts across regions, gender, and frequent and infrequent drivers. Of those who said texting while driving should be illegal, 52% said the punishment should be the same as the penalty for drunken driving. People who are 45 and older favor a harsher punishment. The poll was conducted among a random sample of 829 adults nationwide on Oct. 5-8, 2009. Its margin of error is 3 percentage points.

This follows a well-publicized study that found drivers who text are 23 times more likely to be involved in an accident. President Barack Obama recently banned federal employees from texting while driving, and the practice is already illegal in 18 states and the District of Columbia.

Whatever this survey says about Americans’ attitudes, I’d say from an informal survey of watching drivers on the road that a solid chunk of this 97% isn’t practicing what it preaches.

Poll: Texting + Driving Should be Illegal (CBS News)

Comments

Although it is very dangerous driving while texting, there are many other things that people do that are not banned such as putting on makeup, reading, eating, etc.

Even if it got banned I don't know how you would enforce it.

one politician had a great quote about eating though "I can eat a hamburger while driving but don't have to look at the meat when I'm doing it" or something similar. Made me chuckle.

89% of stats are made up.

The other 3% should promptly drive themselves into the nearest ditch.

Wait, so there are only 3% of driver polled actually texted?
Are you sure?!

You have a point J. Why would someone that does this want it to be illegal? I highly, highly doubt that only 3% of people text while driving. Or maybe people think that making it illegal will make themselves stop??