On Wednesday, January 25th a Distracted Driving Summit was held in Wesley Bolin Plaza across from the capitol in an effort to influence the legislature to hear and pass legislation that would ban texting. The Summit was a gathering of concerned citizens, individuals who have lost loved ones or have been injured by distracted drivers and safety advocates. The stories were heart breaking, yet our legislature can’t seem to understand the problem. The pleas of family members fall on deaf ears as the bill being considered bans texting by teen drivers during their first six months of licensure. This is NOT NEARLY enough, nor is this a teenage driver problem. This is a motorist health and safety issue. People are dying and being injured on our roadways daily due to distracted driving.

If you feel strongly about this topic you need to contact your State legislators and tell them you support a bill banning texting for all drivers not just teen drivers. Surveys by AAA and other polls indicate that there is support for stricter laws and penalties.

Below are links to some of the media coverage of the Summit as well as the status of bills that have been introduced:

• http://bit.ly/2k9doE4
• http://bit.ly/2jDh7q8
• http://bit.ly/2kqokup

Below is a link to help you find your Arizona legislator:

• http://www.azleg.gov/findmylegislator/