Texting While Driving Increase

Texting while driving is on the rise even though states are scrambling to ban it.

New Federal Safety data shows texting while driving increased 50% last year. Lieutenant Steven Rine of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said distractive driving has always been an issue, especially as technology increases.

"We promote anything that promotes traffic or highway safety," said Rine. "We just say pay attention while you’re driving, focus on getting from point A to point B ."

The National Federal Highway Traffic Safety Administration does an annual survey that watches drivers’ behavior at selected intersections. The latest study caught fewer than 1% texting or using hand-held devices but it shows that activity increased to 0.9%  last year, up from 0.6% the year before.

"Unless it’s an emergency where you have to do something," stressed Rine. "We always suggest just pull over to a rest area or maybe a restaurant or somewhere and go ahead and do your texting from there."

A bill to ban texting while driving in Ohio is still being reviewed.