Texting while driving worse than drunken driving, British study finds; Alabama prepares anti-texting bill

ABritish study has found that "intexticated" drivers are worse than intoxicated ones, and even as dangerous as those who do drugs and drive.

Nearly 50 percent of the drivers ages 18 to 24 surveyed said that they sent text messages while driving, according to the study by Britain's Royal Automobile Club.

A bill banning text messaging is slowly winding its way through the state Legislature. It has passed the House and is now in a Senate committee.

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COMMENT: When the speed limit was lowered because of the oil costs and to save gas, it also saved lives. Why doesn't Alabama impose 55 mph as the top speed limit anywhere? Why doesn't all law enforcement stop those who tailgate? Why not enforce the speed limit? Why not lower the speed limit? These things would greatly reduce our highway and road fatalities. - Shirley Southard, Smoke Rise. The intersection of Ninth Street Northwest and Industrial Road is very dangerous in the mornings and evenings. Some drivers coming out of Helena on Shelby County 95 turn left to Industrial. They will pull right out in front of you on a green light (without arrow). How many wrecks have to happen there before they fix the light to be left-turn only on green? Please help with this problem! - Tyffanie Ensor, Alabaster. Shelby County Engineer Randy Cole said the problem is traffic on southbound Shelby County 95 turning left onto Shelby County 66. After the protected left-turn arrow "phases out," motorists may make a "permissive" left turn on the circular green; but they must yield to oncoming northbound traffic. What happens frequently is that the left-turners are already moving when the protected left arrow phases out, and the oncoming traffic is stopped on red, Cole said. Drivers turning left seize the opportunity to continue turning instead of yielding. The number of left turns at this intersection warrants a protected left. If there was not a protected arrow, all left turns would be permissive turns on a circular green. This is a law enforcement issue, Cole said. Alabaster Deputy Police Chief Curtis Rigney said he is aware of the problems at the intersection, and his police do patrol it....