Free Refills reader John sent in word the other day that the Michigan legislature is moving ahead with a texting-while-driving ban. This is despite the fact that a recent study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that such bans have no impact whatsoever on safety.
Here is the rundown, courtesy of MIRS.
Texting a message [...]
Posts Tagged ‘texting while driving’
Texting ban moves forward in Michigan [cell phones]
They thought car radios were dangerous too… [cell phone ban]
It strikes me that a lot of the hysteria about the dangers posed by cell phones in cars boils down to little more than plain old technophobia.
After all, there is no reason to believe that cell phones are uniquely distracting. Both academic studies and surveys suggest that they are in fact less of a distraction [...]
Texting-while-driving now possible for cyclists as well [American Innovation]
Almost every American (except for technophobic old people) can chat on a cell phone or even text while driving with ease.
But what happens if you ride a bike to work? How are you supposed to text-while-biking?
An accomplished cyclist would have no trouble riding with one or even no hands of course. But for the rest [...]
Should we ban cell phones in cars? No.
As state legislatures around the country rush to ban the use of cell phones in cars, I thought it would be a good time to pause and consider a few facts about cell phones and traffic safety over the past few years.
Cell phone use has exploded over the past decade. In 2008, over 83 percent [...]
Is texting while driving dangerous?
A few weeks ago I published a graph showing that our roads have actually become safer as more and more Americans use cell phones. Chatting on the phone is one thing, but surely texting behind the wheel is another. After all, we keep hearing that texting-while-driving is worse than drunk driving. And legislatures around the [...]
Texting ban moves forward in Michigan
Earlier today Yesterday, the Michigan House Transportation Committee approved legislation that would make texting while driving a civil infraction in Michigan.
The State House has not yet posted the committee minutes, so it is unclear what the exact vote was on the legislation.
The bill still needs to pass the House and Senate before it can be [...]
Cell phone crackdown starts tomorrow in NYC [Revenue enhancement]
If you’ve got some speeding, drag racing, or other type of anti-social behavior you’ve wanted to engage in on New York City’s roads, tomorrow might be a good day to do it.
Why? Because the NYPD is going to is going to spend most of its energy ticketing drivers who use cell phones.
Gothamist reports the last [...]
Drivers understand that cell phones just aren’t that dangerous
Measuring the relative danger that different distractions pose to motorists is really hard. Why? Because the dangers posed by different distractions vary tremendously depending on the driver and the intensity of the distraction.
Take kids for example. Is a child sitting peacefully in the backseat likely to pose a big distraction? Probably not. But one that [...]
The graph the New York Times doesn’t want you to see
This post has been getting a huge amount of search-engine traffic recently. Thank you for the visits! If you’re looking for more data on the dangers (or lack thereof) of cell phones in cars, check out this post as well.
Regular readers of this blog will know that the New York Times is waging a sensationalistic campaign to [...]
Link roundup—“Free Refills at Starbucks*” edition
Last week New York Governor Paterson signed a bill banning texting while driving. If a cop catches you typing out a message on your keypad or doing other “dangerous” activities like using an iPod, it will cost you $150. I guess we can call this victory for the latest round of New York Times fear-mongering. [...]
