Distracted driving laws get good marks

The effort to reduce accidents caused by distracted driving has gained momentum across the nation, according to a report issued Tuesday, as states enact stronger laws against texting and cellphone use and push to create greater public awareness of the problem.

The report (PDF) gave the District and Maryland high marks for their efforts and ranked Virginia a notch lower, primarily because it has not included distracted driving in its overall state safety program.

The report by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), the national umbrella organization of state highway safety officials, said that the District, Maryland and 26 other states have given distracted driving priority in their state strategies. It also found that the number of states that seek to determine whether distraction was a factor in accidents has increased from 17 in 2003 to 43 today. The District, Virginia and Maryland are among the states that make those determinations.

-- Ashley Halsey III