On July 7 Gov. Mike Parson signed the Siddens Bening Hands Free Law, prohibiting the use of portable electronic devices while driving, making Missouri the 49th state with some form of texting ban. The District of Columbia also bans texting and driving.
As the nation battles the rising number of roadway fatalities, distracted driving continues to be among the road safety issues that most concern the NTSB and the road safety community. Distracted driving is widespread, killing thousands and injuring hundreds of thousands in the United States every year in preventable crashes. Put into context, all driving fatalities now equate to the loss of three airliners a week. In 2011, the NTSB recommended that all states and the District of Columbia ban driver use of portable electronic devices except in emergencies.
The recommendation came in response to a multivehicle crash in Gray Summit, Missouri. That involved two school buses, a truck-tractor, and a pickup truck with a teen driver. The probable cause was distraction due to text messaging by the teen driver.
Although it’s satisfying to see Missouri finally banning texting while driving, no state has fully satisfied our recommendation; rather, they are meeting this recommendation a step at a time. No state has gone far enough yet to fully ban drivers from using portable electronic devices except in support of the driving task, such as navigation. The science is very clear—humans do not multitask well, and we all pay the price in lost lives, huge number of life-altering injuries and massive insurance costs!
49 states and the District of Columbia have texting bans. Now, Montana is the only state to permit texting and driving on its roads.
The battle against distracted driving will progress a step at a time, and the NTSB congratulates Missourians for taking this one. Technology got us into this deadly situation and can end this immediately, along with legislation, proper enforcement and education.
Getting here took the collaborative efforts and hard work of many dedicated advocates, such as AAA Missouri, Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, MODOT, StopDistraction.org, the National Distracted Driving Coalition, and survivor advocates. Our thanks to the Missouri road safety community for calling on us to testify in support of your efforts and accepting us into a collaborative partnership as you worked to see this law become a reality.
The work to eliminate distracted driving must—and will—continue, and the NTSB will stand with advocates for anti-distraction laws across the nation.
Resources
Learn how you can help eliminate distracted driving.
Watch the 2019 Missouri Roundtable on Distracted Driving: Act to End Deadly Distractions
NTSB Safety Compass Blog 