iDriveFocused.com. Driving while distracted is bad for your health. Here's why.

2010 has barely started, and it's already looking to be a good year for the fight against distracted driving.  In addition to the emergence of innovative safe driving technologies , there continues to be strong momentum to end distracted driving on the legislative front.

Illinois, Kansas, New Hampshire and Oregon will ring in the new year with new state laws aimed at cracking down on distracted driving, according to the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) .  Illinois is placing new restrictions on hand held devices and bans their use in construction and school zones.  Kansas is implementing a ban on all cell phone use and texting for young drivers who have learner's permits and intermediate licenses.  New Hampshire is banning texting for all drivers.

Of the four states with new laws regarding cell phone use and texting set to take effect Jan. 1, 2010, Oregon goes the farthest by banning the use of hand held devices and texting behind the wheel for all drivers. The new law in Oregon also prohibits people under age 18 from using any type of cell phone while driving.  On the federal side of things, Executive Order 13513 , which prohibits federal employees from texting while driving on official business and while using government-supplied equipment, took effect on December 30.  The order also strongly encourages government contractors to institute their own cell phone use policies.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that nearly 6,000 people died in 2008 in crashes involving a distracted or inattentive driver, and more than half a million were injured. Research also shows that the worst offenders are the youngest and least experienced drivers: men and women under 20 years of age.  According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety , there are now statewide bans on hand-held cell phone use in seven states:

-California

-Connecticut

-New Jersey

-New York

-Oregon

-Utah

-Washington

-District of Columbia

Text messaging is banned for all drivers in 19 states and the District of Columbia.  Go here to read my previous post on state laws restricting cell phone use while driving.