Texting while driving to be made illegal soon

MANILA, Philippines – If three party-list representatives in the House of Representatives would have their way, it would soon be illegal for motorists to use mobile phones – either for calls or texting – while driving.

Representatives Irwin Tieng, Ma. Carissa Coscolluela and Rene Velarde of Buhay have filed Bill 4917, “The Anti-Texting While Driving Act of 2008.”

The bill seeks to ban the use of cellular phones, particularly for reading, composing or sending text messages, while driving.

Tieng, principal author of the measure, said yesterday motorists using mobile phones while driving “are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves, passengers and pedestrians as well,” compared to drivers not using phones.

“Using a cellular phone while driving is analogous to driving while drunk,” he said.

He cited data from the Metro Manila Development Authority road safety office showing that for the first half of 2007, 30,001 vehicular accidents occurred in the metropolis, claiming the lives of 172 people and injuring 5,412.

“This means that 166 road accidents take place in Metro Manila daily. A car, bus, truck, or jeep kills one person almost every day and maims around 30,” he said.

He said many of the accidents occurred while drivers were using mobile phones.

He also cited studies abroad suggesting that mobile phones cause accidents that kill thousands of people every year and create monstrous traffic jams.

Tieng said this has prompted more than 40 countries around the world to enact laws banning the use of cellular phones while driving.

He said among these countries are England, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Norway, Portugal, Poland, Russia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, and Italy.

He said in Asia, nations that have enacted similar legislation include India, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore.

Australia and Zimbabwe have such a law too, he added.

He pointed out that in the Philippines, only Quezon City and Makati have passed ordinances prohibiting the use of mobile phones while driving.

Under Bill 4917, those caught using cellular phones while driving would face imprisonment of one day to six months, or a fine of P5,000 to P100,000, or both, upon the discretion of the court.

Exempted would be law enforcers on duty, drivers of ambulances and rescue vehicles, persons responding to emergencies, and reporters of television and radio networks.