If you’re texting on Mississippi Highway 6, it might cost you.
November 8, 2013, The Mississippi Highway Patrol rolled out a new campaign “Pay Attention or Pay a Fine” against distracted driving. The Associated Press reported “troopers will stop and warn motorists who, as a result of eating, texting or not paying attention to the road, drive in an unsafe manner.” The fines under Mississippi’s careless driving law can cost between $5-$50.
The program which launched in the Oxford area will eventually expand statewide.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 2011 National Occupant Survey, an estimated 660,000 drivers nationwide use electronic devices while driving. The survey also found that more than 3,000 people were killed in 2011 and 387,000 were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver.
Mother Jones reported Mississippi is one of only nine states that do not have a statewide ban on texting while driving
In a special to The Daily Mississippian, students from JOUR 271 have collected reactions from their peers about the dangers of texting and driving.
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