Friday, August 28, 2009

Nixon Open To Expanding Texting Ban

On the day that a new law goes into effect banning texting while driving for those 21 and under, Governor Jay Nixon said he'd be open to expanding the ban further in the future.
"A year from now we'll have very significant data as to whether or not this has helped make our roads safer. If we do, then presenting to these policy leaders behind me the opportunity to expand this, is something we'd look at," Nixon said at a news conference in Springfield Friday.
*WATCH FULL CLIP ABOVE*
The new law prohibits anyone 21 and under from sending, reading or writing text messages while driving on Missouri roads. Violators can be punished with up to a $200 fine and adding 2 points to the driver's license.
Right now 18 states have complete bans on texting for all drivers.
Seven states ban talking on cell phones while driving.
Nixon cited a recent study that says the risk of a crash or near crash increases by more than 23 times when a driver is sending a text message.

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