Americans support texting and driving ban

Boise Weekly.

Idaho's Office of Highway Safety concluded that, in 2009, 60 fatalities resulted from inattentive or distracted driving, representing 27% of all fatalities.

It isn't the first survey to shed light on the contradiction between what Americans do, and what they think is right, but the percentages are particularly striking. Ninety-five percent of drivers consider text messaging as a serious threat, while 88% feel the same way about cellphone use, says The Washington Post.

The survey data seemed to suggest that those who use cellphones while driving believe other users pose a bigger danger than they do. Eighty-seven percent supported laws against sending or receiving text messages while driving. Seventy percent wanted laws against the use of handheld cellphones, and half of those surveyed said all cellphone use should be outlawed while driving.

Participants, who were paid $40, were recruited through word-of-mouth and from a database of past research participants. About two-thirds of the participants, using their own mobile devices, used touch-screen phones, while the rest used a raised Qwerty keypad. Gender was approximately split, according to News Journal.com.