Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

Traffic Tweets Send Mixed Messages

States send updates, but prohibit drivers from reading them

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 19, 2009 7:38 AM CDT

(Newser) – Safety experts complain that states are undermining their own no-texting-while-driving laws by offering motorists constant Twitter updates on traffic conditions, the AP reports. At least 22 states with laws that essentially ban drivers from using smartphones and similar devices behind the wheel provide such information, and, in some cases, readily pass on information texted in by drivers.

"You shouldn't be fiddling around with any kind of electronic gadget in your car while driving," warned Minnesota state Rep. Frank Hornstein, author of his state's no-texting-while-driving law. State transportation officials say the tweets provide a useful service to drivers, and stress that drivers are supposed to get the information before they hit the road.

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

Cars drive by a sign notifying of a new texting while driving law in San Francisco, California. (Getty Images)

A bill board that encourages people not to text while they drive is shown in the north side of Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

People walk past a sign at the Joyce Kilmer Service Area of the New Jersey Turnpike reminding motorists not to use their hand-held cell phone while driving in the state. (AP Photo/Mike Derer)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

If you're sitting there and trying to update the world on the congestion you're in, you could be part of a collision.
- Fairley Mahlum, spokeswoman for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

NTSB Bid to Ban All Phone Use in Cars Is 'Overkill'

Why can't drivers use hand-free sets?

(NEWSER) - The NTSB's proposal for a nationwide ban on the use of cell phones while driving, even of the hands-free variety, "is impractical, it's overkill, and it doesn't make sense," writes Sascha Segan at PC Magazine . Authorities can and should come down hard on anyone caught texting while driving or even just talking on a hand-held device while behind the wheel, he writes. But banning "absolutely hands-free conversations" via Bluetooth headsets or the like is where things get muddy. More»

How Your Discarded Phone Can Improve Global Health

It can send texts, and one advocate says the Third World can benefit

(NEWSER) - Text messages could be the key to successful health care in poor countries. At least 24-year-old Josh Nesbit thinks so. He's the CEO of nonprofit startup Medic Mobile, which disperses old cell phones to create a text messaging network that can connect doctors to patients, monitor the spread of disease, and help find disaster victims, reports Popular Mechanics . More»

You Don't Want to Know What's on Your Cellphone

There's a good chance it's fecal matter: study

(NEWSER) - If you’re reading this on your smartphone, you might want to go wash your hands now: A new study out of London finds that one out of six cellphones has fecal matter on it. UK researchers swabbed 390 mobile phones and the British hands that used them, and found that 16% of both were contaminated with E. coli bacteria—which, yes, comes from poop, Time reports. More»

Wireless Devices Officially Outnumber People in US

Why? Because many of us need a phone and a tablet

(NEWSER) - For every person, a mobile device … or two. In the United States, wireless devices now outnumber people, according to a new survey by trade group CTIA. That’s possible because so many people own more than one such device, for example a smartphone and a tablet. There are now 327.6 million mobile devices in the country and its territories (a 9% increase during the first six months of the year), compared to 315 million people. More from the Washington Post : More»

33% of You Would Ditch Sex for Phones

Respondents weigh a week of sacrifice

(NEWSER) - If you’d prefer a sexless week to a phoneless one, you’re in good company: A third of Americans agree with you, a survey finds. Some 70% of Americans would turn down alcohol for a week rather than leave their phones behind, and 55% would kick their caffeine habits, Mashable reports. We’re a little more reluctant to give up our toothbrushes, however, with only 22% willing to make that weeklong sacrifice, the TeleNav survey finds. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Traffic Tweets Send Mixed Messages