Legacy Driving Academy, the best driving school in Phoenix AZ., takes driver safety very seriously, and texting while driving is no joke. Let’s discuss the dangers of texting and driving.

Texting And Driving Facts

• A driver who texts while driving will be distracted for a minimum of five seconds. While driving at 55 mph, that equates to driving the length of a football field without watching the road.

• Texting makes a crash up to 23 times more likely.

• While driving, teens who text spend 10% of the time outside of their lane.

• According to a teen driver survey, 97% of teens agree that texting while driving is dangerous, yet 43% do it anyway.

• 19% of drivers of all ages admit to surfing the web while driving.

• Including Arizona, 25 states have a blanket ban on handheld-cellphone use while driving, and all states but two (Missouri and Montana) ban texting for all drivers. Missouri prohibits text messaging by drivers 21 years old and younger.

• 40% of teens say that they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone.

• According to 77% of teens, adults tell them not to text or email while driving, yet adults do it themselves “all of the time.”

• Nine in ten teens expect a reply to a text or email within five minutes or less, which puts pressure on them to respond while driving.

Arizona drivers can now be ticketed and fined for using handheld cellphones while driving. Since 2019, it’s been illegal to use handheld cellphones while driving, but law enforcement was only allowed to issue warnings. Now, Arizona drivers can be fined.

Specifically, the law prohibits any kind of cellphone use while driving, including talking, texting, and scrolling social media. Additionally, watching and recording video and any other cellphone use that causes distracted driving is also prohibited. Fines start at 75 dollars; however, a device in a hands-free mode is allowed.

What Is Not Permitted In The State Of Arizona?

• Holding a cellphone in any way while talking on the phone, including propping it up with a shoulder.
• Writing, sending, or reading any text-based communication, including a text, instant message, or email.
• Watching any kind of video or recording video.

If Texting and Driving is Not Allowed, What Is Allowed While Driving?

• Swiping a phone screen to make or accept a phone call.
• Talking on the phone if using an earpiece, headphone device, or device worn on the wrist.
• Using voice-based communication, such as a talk-to-text function.
• Using a GPS system.
• Using a handheld cellphone while stopped at a traffic light or stoplight.
• Using a handheld cellphone to call 911.

The law applies to any kind of portable wireless communication device or standalone electronic device. On the other hand, certain exceptions include officials who respond to emergencies and people witnessing a crime or needing emergency help. The law does not apply to radios, citizen band radio, citizens band radio hybrids, commercial two-way radios, subscription-based emergency communication devices, prescribed medical devices, amateur or ham radio devices, or in-vehicle security and navigation or remote diagnostics systems. Starting in January of 2021, any officer in Arizona could cite any driver they saw using their cellphones, and they could pull drivers over for cellphone use alone.

First-time offenders are fined between 75 and 149 dollars, second-time offenders, and any time after that, a driver is fined between 150 and 250 dollars. So, what’s the legal definition of texting while driving?

The legal definition is when the driver uses a mobile phone to compose, send, or read a text and other digital correspondence while operating a motor vehicle. Texting while driving meets all three types of distracted driving and is highly distracting.

The Types Of Distracted Driving

1. Visual distractions – this kind of distraction requires you to take your eyes off the road, caused by visual stimulants that avert your eyes.
2. Manual distractions – A manual distraction requires the use of your hands, causing you to give up control of the wheel.
3. Cognitive distractions – These distractions occupy your mind, carrying your thoughts away from driving and onto other matters.

Stop Texting and Driving! Start the Best Driving School In Phoenix AZ

Safety is our passion here at Legacy Driving Academy, and we are proud of our pristine track record. We understand the perils of texting while driving and teach our students that responding to a text, no matter how important it is, can wait until they are no longer behind the wheel. Texting while driving is no joke.

Our knowledgeable licensed trainers always act in a professional, courteous manner and are approved by the Arizona Department of Transportation. We look forward to teaching your teens safe and responsible driving. Contact us today to start your involvement with the best driving school in Phoenix AZ.