Pilot programs reduce texting while driving by at least one third

Two pilot programs launched by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) aimed at minimizing texting while driving have reduced the practice by at least one third.

With cell phones and text messaging becoming ubiquitous, texting while driving has proven to be a deadly practice resulting in fatal accidents across the United States. For instance, a driver in Chicago killed a pedestrian when they became too distracted by updating their status on Facebook.

To curb this practice, the NHTSA sponsored two pilot programs in Syracuse, New York and Hartford, Connecticut. The programs ran for one year starting in April 2010 and used a combination of stepped up law enforcement and public information campaigns. NHTSA provided each city with $200,000 while the state provided an additional $100,000.

For their public awareness campaigns, they used slogans like “Phone in One Hand, Ticket in the Other” that were similar to drunk driving advertisements. In addition, local law enforcement increased the number of tickets they issued for distracted driving. As a result cell phone use while driving decreased by about one third in Syracuse, while in Hartford there was a 72 percent drop in texting and a 57 percent drop in hand held use.

In total, the Syracuse police issued 9,587 citations for those talking or texting on cell phones while driving and Hartford Police issued 9,658 over the one year period.

“These findings show that strong laws, combined with high visible police enforcement, can significantly reduce dangerous texting and cell phone use behind the wheel,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Based on these results, it is crystal clear that those who try to minimize this dangerous behavior are making a serious error in judgment, especially when a half a million people are injured and thousands more are killed in distracted driving accidents.”