KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The U.S. Department of Transportation says one in every 10 highway deaths are caused by distracted drivers. A national effort is now underway to get every state to crack down on the problem.
It’s called the Blueprint for Ending Distracted Driving. Among other things, this blueprint calls on the 11 states with either weak laws or no laws against cell phones and texting to take action.
Missouri is one of those weak states. It has no ban on cell phones and only bans texting for drivers under the age of 21. Other states with weak laws include Hawaii, Montana and South Dakota.
The initiative also gives California and Delaware $2.4 million in federal funds for pilot programs that will examine whether increased police enforcement reduces distracted driving.
This initiative also challenges the auto industry to develop technology to encourage people not to use their cell phones while in the car.
Plus if you have a teen driver, there’s a section in the Blueprint that is geared just for teenagers. It asks them to sign a pledge to not text while driving and to remind their parents not to text and drive.
Currently, 39 states ban texting while driving and 10 states ban cell phones.
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