Community Corner

Are You Part of the Text-While-Driving Increase?

FDU Poll says 25 percent of state's drivers are doing it, at same time bill is proposed for three-strikes law.

Judging by a recent study by Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind Poll, there are at least a few residents in Madison that are texting while driving.

The results of the poll, co-sponsored by the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, showed that 25 percent of the state's drivers said they have sent text messages from behind the wheel within the past few years.

The results come soon after a proposed state bill, which would suspend a driver's license after three cell phone violations, was introduced by Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex).

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The percentage of those saying they have sent text messages while driving is an increase from last year, when 21 percent of the state's drivers said they had done so.

However, the increase comes from a different age group than it has in the past.

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According to studies, previous years' increases in texting were sparked by drivers under the age of 30. Though that group is the most likely to text, as 56 percent of drivers under age 30 say they've done so behind the wheel, the increase in this year's study can be attributed to drivers aged 30 to 60.

In this year's study, 37 percent of drivers 30 to 44 years of age say they've sent a text while driving, up 9 points from last year, and 17 percent of drivers 45 to 60 years of age say they've done so, up from 12 percent in 2009.

"These figures reflect how much texting has become part of our lives, so much so that we're even doing it in the driver's seat," said Dan Cassino, the director of experimental research for the PublicMind poll, and a professor of political science at Fairleigh Dickinson University in a release. "As more people get used to texting, more are going to do it while driving, so these numbers are probably going to keep going up for some time."

The proposed state legislation is a three-strikes-and-your-out proposal, and according to published reports, would fine first-time offenders $100 (the current penalty), second-time offenders $250, and third-time offenders $500 along with the suspension.

In a 2008 study, only 15 percent of drivers said that they had sent a text while driving.

However, despite the increase in texting and high levels of speeding among young people and commuters, New Jersey drivers polled say that their neighbors in New York are the worst behind a wheel.

The poll says that texting is up, but using hand-held phones while driving is declining, with only 12 percent of drivers say that they "very often" or "sometimes" talk on a hand-held cell while behind the wheel, down from 18 percent in 2009, and half of the 26 percent who admitted to doing so in 2007.

A majority of NJ drivers, 79 percent according to the poll, say that hand-held phones are more dangerous than hands-free devices.

"Most drivers don't seem to understand that it isn't holding the phone that's the problem, but the mental and visual distraction caused by the conversation," said Pam Fischer, the director of the state's Division of Highway Traffic Safety, in a release. "If we're replacing hand-held cell phone use with texting, which is more dangerous than driving drunk, we're certainly not moving in the right direction."

The co-sponsored poll was carried out by telephone from May 2 through June 2 using a randomly selected sample of 953 New Jersey residents aged 17 and over who report they drive regularly, including an oversample of drivers under the age of 30. It has a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points.

More information, including tables, questions, and methodology can be found at http://publicmind.fdu.edu


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