Nine of 10 Americans Would Support New Laws to Ban Driving While Texting, According to New Poll

    SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nine out of ten (89
 percent) American adults believe that sending text messages or emails while
 driving is distracting, dangerous, and should be outlawed, according to a
 new survey commissioned by mobile messaging service Pinger, Inc. and
 conducted by Harris Interactive(R). Similar numbers (91 percent) of adults
 thought that drivers distracted by sending text messages or mobile email
 were as dangerous as drivers who had a couple of drinks.
     Even though the overwhelming majority of adults thought driving while
 texting is dangerous, two in three adults (66 percent) who drive a car and
 have used text messaging said they had read text messages or emails while
 they were driving, and 57 percent of the same population admitted to
 sending text messages or emails from behind the wheel.
     "We all know that distracted driving is dangerous, especially when
 drivers take their eyes off the road to text message," said Greg Woock, CEO
 of Pinger. "But, as these numbers show, people want to stay connected when
 they're on the go. Pinger allows drivers to be productive in a way that's
 safer."
     Combined with a hands-free headset, Pinger's instant voice messaging
 service is a safer way for drivers to stay in touch from the road. By
 simply calling Pinger, saying the name of a contact, speaking their
 message, and then hanging up, drivers are able to send a message to any
 U.S. mobile phone while keeping their eyes on the road.
     State governments are starting to address the dangers of drivers
 distracted by text messaging. The state of Washington passed the nation's
 first ban on texting while driving in May of 2007 and at least six other
 states including New York, California and Florida are considering similar
 legislation.
     The survey also revealed that:
 
     -- 64 percent of adults who admitted to sending text messages while
        driving were between the ages of 18 and 34, while only 6 percent were
        55 or older
     -- Men and women sent text messages while driving at equal rates
     Methodology for Survey
     This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris
 Interactive via its QuickQuery omnibus on behalf of Pinger between June 29
 and July 3, 2007 among 2,049 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age,
 sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted
 where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in
 the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for
 respondents' propensity to be online.
     With a pure probability sample of 2,049, one could say with a
 ninety-five percent probability that the overall results would have a
 sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points. Sampling error for data based on
 sub-samples would be higher and would vary. However, that does not take
 other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a
 probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be
 calculated.
     About Pinger
     Pinger was founded on the vision that using your voice to message
 should be as fast, simple and convenient as email or SMS. The patent
 pending Pinger service enables people, for the first time, to send instant
 voice messages to nearly anyone regardless of carrier or phone type.
 Founded in late 2005 by former Palm executives Greg Woock and Joe Sipher,
 Pinger has a proven management team who believes deeply in building simple
 products and services that just work. Located in San Jose, California,
 Pinger is privately held and currently recruiting smart people who like to
 create great products and have fun. For more information, visit
 http://www.pinger.com.
     Pinger is a service mark of Pinger, Inc. All other trademarks and trade
 names are the property of their respective owners.
     About Harris Interactive
     Harris Interactive is the 13th largest and fastest-growing market
 research firm in the world. The company provides innovative research,
 insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident
 decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in
 performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of
 the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online
 market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the
 world's largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris
 Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and
 Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiaries Novatris in France and
 MediaTransfer AG in Germany, and through a global network of independent
 market research firms. More information about Harris Interactive may be
 obtained at http://www.harrisinteractive.com.
 
 

SOURCE Pinger; Harris Interactive