• 04
  • November
    2011

It takes more than laws to change dangerous behavior such as drunk driving or texting while driving. Aggressive enforcement of those laws is also needed. And so is a change in the culture that produces the dangerous behavior in the first place.

That is why federal and state safety officials are finally trying to tackle car accidents caused by distracted driving by seeking to develop a comprehensive strategy against it. The strategy is designed to include elements of law enforcement as well as public education on the dangers of distracted driving.

Wisconsin is one of 34 states with laws against texting while driving. The law has been on the books for nearly a year now.

As important as these laws are in discouraging and punishing distracted driving, they have to be supplemented by aggressive public awareness campaign. To truly change behavior and reduce distracted driving crashes, people have to be shown how unacceptable - and how dangerous - multi-tasking behind the wheel really is.

The new ad campaign against distracted driving involves a collaborative effort between several agencies. On the federal level, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is involved. NHTSA and the Ad Council (a private sector group) are joining with state attorneys general and consumer protection agencies to sponsor the campaign.

The campaign is primarily aimed at young drivers from ages 16 to 24. It seeks to show them that trying to text and drive is a recipe for disaster because the mind cannot multitask safely when one of the tasks is driving a motor vehicle.

Although the campaign is aimed mainly at young drivers, distracted driving is a problem for drivers of all ages. The new campaign against it could be an important step at changing the culture that produces it.

Source: "New campaign targets texting while driving," USA Today, 10-28-11