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Are Texting-While-Driving Laws Effective?

Last week, Salt River tribal police Officer Clayton Townsend was killed when a driver — who later admitted to texting while driving — veered over two lanes and killed Townsend during a traffic stop.

Arizona is one of three states without a texting-while-driving ban. Last year, the Legislature passed a law regarding teen drivers, prohibiting teens from texting or cellphone use for the first six months of driving.

At the time, Gov. Doug Ducey said in a statement that, “I am skeptical of large-scale bans on texting while driving — I just don’t think they work.”  

So are texting while driving laws effective? For more, The Show was joined by Toni Rudisill of West Virginia University, where she studies public health and focuses on traffic safety policies.

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Steve Goldstein was a host at KJZZ from 1997 to 2022.