North Carolina Highway Patrol declares No Texting, Just Driving Month
More than 1 million people traveled on public roadways in the state of North Carolina over Memorial Weekend 2012, according to traffic statistics collected over by the American Automobile Association. In response, the North Carolina Highway Patrol launched an increased enforcement initiative cracking down on drivers caught violating the state’s speed limit laws and the state’s ban on engaging in text based messaging while behind the wheel of a moving automobile. According to highway traffic data provided in a statement from the North Carolina Highway Patrol, drivers sending or reading text messages from a handheld communication device while operating a vehicle in motion take their eyes off the road ahead for approximately 4.6 seconds, on average. During that length of time, according to the statement provided by the North Carolina Highway Patrol, an automobile moving at a speed of 55 miles per hour will travel about 100 yards, or the length of a regulation professional football field. This focused enforcement effort specifically targeted teenage drivers, who are statistically more likely to break speed limits and texting laws, according to safety statistics provided by the North Carolina Highway Patrol. In response to these trends that might mean more accidents on state roadways, No Texting, Just Driving Educational Awareness Month has been declared throughout the month of June, the North Carolina Highway Patrol has announced in a statement issued to local media outlets.
