Frigid temperatures this weekend prompt cold weather advisories

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

Fiddling with your iPhone behind the wheel can get you fined
across much of the nation. But many states are more than happy to
tweet you with up-to-the-minute directions on how to steer clear of
a traffic jam.


      It is a mixed signal that some safety experts and politicians
say could be dangerous.

      At least 22 states that ban texting while driving offer some
type of service that allows motorists to get information about
traffic tie-ups, road conditions or emergencies via Twitter.

      "You shouldn't be fiddling around with any kind of electronic
gadget in your car while driving," said Minnesota state Rep. Frank
Hornstein, who helped write his state's no-texting-while-driving law.

      Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have banned all
texting while driving, and eight others prohibit texting by younger
drivers only, according to the Governors Highway Safety
Association.

      Many of these laws essentially bar people from fooling with
their smart phones in any way behind the wheel; in some cases, just
reading from a mobile device is against the law.


      Some supporters of text-messaging bans say that states that
provide traffic information via Twitter are undermining these laws.

      "I would guess that the states wouldn't intend to be sending a
mixed message, but it sounds like it could be a mixed message,"
said Judie Stone, president of the Washington-based Advocates for
Highway and Auto Safety.

      State transportation officials say they are not encouraging
people to get online behind the wheel. They say drivers should read
their tweets before hitting the road.

      In Washington state, for example, where citizens and
transportation officials can exchange messages about the latest
traffic, the feed includes regular reminders not to use the service
while driving. "Know before you go," said one feed this week.


      Drivers should "check our Web site before leaving. If you're at
your office, before you leave and there's an issue on the roadway,
it might alter your travel plans home," said Randy Ort, spokesman
for the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.


      The Arkansas ban on texting while driving goes into effect Oct.
1; this week, the state became the latest to provide road
conditions via Twitter, the microblogging service that lets people
read and send messages of 140 characters or fewer.

      Other places offering traffic information via Twitter include:
California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois,
Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota,
Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Oregon,
Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia.

      The apparent conflict results from two arms of government with
seemingly good intentions: transportation departments that want to
help motorists cope with traffic, and legislatures that are worried
about the deadly consequences of distracted driving.

      While Washington state lets motorists tweet about traffic
conditions, in most states the flow of information is one-way -
from state officials to drivers. Some states, such as New York and
Indiana, send lots of up-to-the-minute information. Others just
tweet intermittently, or reserve Twitter for emergencies.
Mississippi, for example, intends to use its service during
hurricane evacuations.


      Maine has employed Twitter only to update drivers on an
interstate highway project in the Portland area. Nebraska plans to
use Twitter during winter weather emergencies. Oregon officials
notify drivers about emergency road closings only.


      "We don't want people reading their tweets while they're
driving," said Sally Ridenour, spokeswoman for the Oregon
Department of Transportation.


      In Washington state, the 6,200 users can also request estimated
travel times, mountain pass reports and waiting times at the
Canadian border. Some users apparently just want to chat.


      "Got home, got changed, now heading back to seattle for the
Mariners game. Keep the roads clear for me on I90 (at)WSDOT :-),"
one user posted in late August. The reply from transit officials?
"No promises, but we will do our best :) Enjoy the game!"


      Others want to know why traffic isn't moving. "wsdot any idea
what's going on westbound on 520? it's worse than rush hour..," a
user posted. Within a few minutes, officials responded: "Yes!
There is a disabled vehicle just east of Lk Wash Blvd blocking
right lane."


      That kind of exchange, if conducted by drivers behind the wheel,
troubles some safety experts.

      "If you're sitting there and trying to update the world on the
congestion you're in, you could be part of a collision," said
Fairley Mahlum, spokeswoman for the AAA Foundation for Traffic
Safety. "Did it really matter that you needed to tell everyone and
their brother what the situation is? It's just not really not worth
it."


      The dangers of texting and driving are well documented. The
Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found in July that when
truck drivers texted, their risk of a collision was 23 times
greater. Dialing a cell phone and using or reaching for an
electronic device raised the risk of collision about six times in
cars and trucks.

      A 17-year-old Eureka, Ill., high school student was killed in
June when she drove off the road while sending a message to
friends. A train wreck in California last year left 25 people dead,
including the train operator, who was texting at the time.


      Seattle resident Aaron Woo often checks traffic conditions on
his phone using the Twitter feed from the state's transportation
department - sometimes, he said, while driving.

      "I try not to use my phone at certain miles per hour," the
25-year-old said. "I try to be smart when I'm using my phone when
I'm driving."

      Washington resident Eric Zinn said he, too, checks the Twitter
traffic updates on his phone, though usually not when he is
driving.

      Does he worry other people will be doing it behind the wheel?

      "They're too busy eating doughnuts and shaving their eyebrows
and screaming at their kids," he said. "There's plenty of things
to keep you distracted."


      Associated Press writers Brian Bakst in St. Paul, Minn., David
Lieb in Jefferson City, Mo., Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson,
Miss., and Curtis Woodward in Olympia, Wash., and Manuel Valdes in
Seattle contributed to this report.
      

Gallery

Texting drivers still not getting the message

Will a graphic video stop teens from texting while driving?

Hecker pleads guilty, says he was texting while driving

Lifestyle

Fiddling with your iPhone behind the wheel can get you fined
across much of the nation. But many states are more than happy to
tweet you with up-to-the-minute directions on how to steer clear of
a traffic jam.


Minnesota and other states send mixed message on texting and driving

Go Deeper.

Like this?