January 16, 2012 in Idaho

Poll: 87% of Idahoans favor texting-while-driving ban

Betsy Z. Russell The Spokesman-Review

Tags:2012 Idaho Legislaturetexting

BOISE – A new statewide survey shows that 87 percent of Idahoans favor a ban on texting while driving – including 78 percent who say they’d strongly support it.

“It’s higher than we would’ve guessed,” said Dave Carlson, spokesman for AAA of Idaho, which commissioned the statewide poll by Riley Research Associates of Portland.

Yet Idaho lawmakers, who’ve struggled with the issue for the past two years, still haven’t passed anything and Idaho doesn’t ban texting while driving, unlike at least 30 other states.

“I’ve already got a texting bill sitting on my desk that I had drawn up,” said Idaho Senate Transportation Chairman Jim Hammond, R-Coeur d’Alene. “I hope we can move forward with it, just to take care of those concerns.”

Two years ago, a texting-while-driving ban was killed on the final night of Idaho’s legislative session, despite having won majority support in both houses, when then-Rep. Raul Labrador, now a congressman, used a parliamentary maneuver to require a two-thirds vote in the House. The bill got a 37-30 majority - not two-thirds.

Last year, Rep. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, proposed compromise legislation he described as “truly a piece of sausage” that would have banned texting if it distracted the driver, but not if it didn’t; that didn’t pass.

“I think we’ve tripped over the details,” Carlson said. “There’s been a naysayer for every bill that’s been brought, including, as you might recall, AAA last year, because we were hoping for something a little bit stronger.”

Carlson, who is the lobbyist for the motorists’ group in Idaho, said his group is “shopping legislation right now” to ban texting while driving, and is hopeful that lawmakers will either sign on or come up with their own proposals.

The new poll is fodder for those arguments. Among 400 likely Idaho voters surveyed statewide Nov. 23-30, support was strongest for a simple ban on texting while driving; only 11 percent opposed that, and just 3 percent were undecided. Next-most popular, at 79 percent support, was an enhanced penalty for moving violations while using a cell phone or other electronic device.

Support fell to 59 percent for a ban on using a cell phone for any purpose while driving.

The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent.

AAA also asked about two other issues in its poll: Eliminating state funding for driver training in schools, which 84 percent opposed; and raising gas taxes or registration fees to fund transportation improvements, which only 38 percent supported.

Hammond said, “That doesn’t surprise me a bit, because quite frankly, every time you and I fill up our gas tanks it kinda hurts, so to add to that pain with an additional gas tax right now just doesn’t seem to make sense.”

Hammond said the Senate Transportation Committee likely will consider introducing his texting-while-driving bill next week.

11 comments on this story so far. Add yours!

bluecoyote on January 16 at 4:18 p.m.
I’m curious. Was the poll restricted to high school students?
oneanddone on January 16 at 4:25 p.m.
Really attentive to detail there bluecoyote. The 87% are for a BAN, which high school students wouldn’t be. Next time read the article.
crazyivan44 on January 16 at 4:36 p.m.
I’d like to see the actual vehicle collision data that supports the need for this law in Idaho. Doing things because the national data is blah blah blah and 30 some odd other states are doing it isn’t good enough. Use state level data to support state legislation please!!
selkirks on January 16 at 4:49 p.m.
@crazyivan44:
Let’s oppose everything that infringes on our rights! Even if it increases penalties on people doing stupid things behind the wheel. If they want to do it, let them be. Darwinism at its finest. Let’s just let it happen.
While we’re at it, let’s secede from the Union to TRULY have states’ rights. Let’s deny services to people who don’t have insurance who come to the hospital. Just let them die. Let’s talk about partial birth abortion and contraception endlessly during our Presidential selection process. Oh, wait….
RedCedar on January 16 at 5:10 p.m.
I don’t know if banning texting while driving is a good idea or not, but I’m a bit dismayed that the AAA is lobbying for that as well as for various other things. It seems like every group that purports to be about benefits to its members ends up spending a large share of it money on political lobbying these days, without even allowing its members to vote on whether they support those particular issues. When you join a labor union, the AARP, the NRA, or now even the AAA, it appears that you’re buying not just a nice magazine and support for the obvious things like negotiating a labor contract with your boss, obtaining low-cost insurance and drugs in your old age, learning how to be a good marksman and finding friends to shoot with, and getting free road maps and low-cost roadside assistance, but you’re also buying a package of political goals that you might not even agree with.
Granted, all these interest groups have done some political lobbying. The AAA used to be big on promoting the building of good public roads, for example. But these days they all seem to have drifted way off on barely-related tangents. Clearly, all drivers would like good roads to drive on, but not all drivers feel the same way about texting, cell phone use, or driver’s education.
crazyivan44 on January 16 at 5:28 p.m.
You’re absolutely right selkirks! That is EXACTLY what I was going for with my post! We obviously have a strong telepathic connection.
We should just pass it without studying if any texting law absolutely works to reduce injuries and fatalities and property damage vs. what enforcement of the law costs, I mean we shouldn’t analyze any of that data so that we can actually pass a cost effective law that protects citizens now should we? To assume that a generic cell phone/texting law wouldn’t best suit Idaho is illogical and idiotic, obviously Idaho is just like anywhere else in the country. We’d have to all pull our heads out of our butts to do some critical thinking on the issue and obviously you have no desire to do so. But hey, you DID put forth a good effort at trying to paint an incorrect stereotype instead of adding something constructive! I will definitely give you credit where credit is due. Gold star!
johnclarke on January 16 at 5:56 p.m.
I assume you guys would say the same thing about the efforts to drug test people on welfare ?
When something polls at 87%, I guess that means that people agree with the concept. Oddly, people in Idaho. I am impressed.
misjustice on January 16 at 6:45 p.m.
Oh by all means, keep on texting while driving Ideeho!
Ya’ll don’t need no stinkin’ law to regulate private acts; unless, of course, those acts involve a woman’s womb, or gay folks’ bedrooms, unemployed folks’ urine, or a host of other private acts that the less gubmint folks want to stick their noses into!
MrBloggy on January 16 at 10:08 p.m.
MrBloggy is not surprised as only 42% of Idahoans can read or write. Now, try to ban making out with your sister while driving and Idaho citizens will erupt with outrage.
RedCedar on January 16 at 11:02 p.m.
“Ya’ll don’t need no stinkin’ law to regulate private acts; unless, of course, those acts involve …gay folks’ bedrooms…”
Actually, “the infamous crime against nature” doesn’t refer only to gay folks, nor does it exempt married monogamous heterosexual folks. Having anal sex with your wife, or having her give you a blow job, are both illegal in Idaho, and the wording of the law appears to ban cunnilingus as well, but it’s never been tested in court. Adultery and fornication are also criminal offenses, punishable by jail terms, in Idaho.
dataxman on January 17 at 5:44 a.m.
Yes, Idaho should pass a law. This is a great source of revenue for local and State government. How many $125 tickets have been written in WA - and the ban has been in place for a year and a half…