New state laws target distracted driving

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- There has been a flurry of U.S. state legislative proposals aimed at cutting down on the number of distracted drivers, policy analysts say.

State lawmakers have proposed 200 bills so far to curb distracted driving, and experts say they expect to see dozens more in the coming months, The New York Times reported Saturday.

"It's the hottest safety issue in the states right now by far," Jonathan Adkins, spokesman for the Governors Highway Safety Association, which represents state highway safety agencies, told the newspaper.

"People are starting to see it like drunk driving, and that's the comparison we need to continue to make," added Steve Farley, an Arizona state lawmaker who two years ago unsuccessfully proposed banning sending text messages while driving. "It's amazing to me that, after getting hammered since 2007, so many people are taking up the cause."

Policy analysts told the Times measures are concentrating on texting, adding there is less consensus but an intensifying debate about what to do about driving while talking on the phone, which studies have shown increases crash risks by four-fold.

Farley told the newspaper shift in the perception of danger is thanks, in part, to media focus on the issue.