Vlingo issues survey on DWT - driving while texting

You might want to stay off the roads of Tennessee over Memorial Day weekend - according to a new survey, motorists in the Volunteer State are the worst offenders when it comes to text-messaging while driving.

The survey is from Vlingo Corp., a Cambridge company that develops speech-recognition technology for mobile phones. Vlingo's motto: "Why tap when you can talk."

The online survey that Vlingo commissioned found that 26 percent of its nationwide sample of 4,816 mobile phone users said they text behind the wheel. Tennessee had the highest percentage of respondents, with 42 percent admitting to DWT - driving while texting, Vlingo said.

Texting while driving any kind of a vehicle has become a big safety issue of late, and even many regular texters think the practice should be banned.

In Boston, meanwhile, the general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority recently said he would ban on-the-job possession of cellphones by T operators. As reported in a Globe story, that announcement came shortly after a Green Line operator involved in a crash told investigators that he was tapping out a text message to his girlfriend just before his trolley slammed into the back of another. The crash injured dozens of passengers and derailed both trains.

By Vlingo's count, seven states and the District of Columbia have laws completely prohibiting any person from sending text messages while operating a vehicle.

And in its survey of mobile phone users, 83 percent of respondents said they think DWT should be illegal, Vlingo said.

“In just one year, the public conversation about the issue of DWT has escalated, particularly in the wake of some high-profile accidents,” Dave Grannan, chief executive of Vlingo, said in a statement. “Texting is such an integral component of our daily lives, and the cautionary tales about DWT danger have not stemmed the tide. We predicted last year that this problem would get worse, and it has since more people are texting. The good news is that many state legislatures are starting to take up this issue, and today more advanced technologies exist that can increase safety on the roads.”
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)