Although texting while driving is illegal in California, the law needs to be strengthened because too many accidents are still caused by distracted driving.
According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Association (NHTSA), vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers killed 3,166 people in 2017. NHTSA has also reported that between the years of 2009 to 2016, the number of drivers visibly manipulating hand-held devices while driving increased by 250%.
A recent AAA survey of distracted driving in California revealed that 10 percent of adults either “always or frequently” use smartphones while driving—even though they know it is illegal.
