Texting & Driving

There has been so much said and written lately about the use of cell phones
while driving, especially the growing trend of driver’s texting while they are behind the wheel. The solution is simple….enforcement of the laws that currently exist and if necessary stricter ones down the road. Remember when the seat belt laws went into effect? At first many ignored them and said it was too uncomfortable to buckle up. Over time there were task forces dedicated to issuing summonses to drivers who failed to use their seat belts and eventually everyone got the message…some after paying a fine or two.

Now you have this problem and make no mistake it is a problem with cell phones, BlackBerry’s and other portable communication tools. As I have said before all you need to do is observe and you will be amazed at how many drivers are engaged in conversations while cruising down the road. As bad as that is the texting phenomenon is even worse with some actually using both hands to text while driving with their knees, forearms….you get the picture.

It would be easy to say it’s just the young people, especially teenagers who are the problem but that’s a cop out. Yes the younger generation is more likely to text but I’ve seen plenty of adults in their 50’s and 60’s having a conversation with one hand on the steering wheel and the other on their cell phone. The use of a hands-free device like a Bluetooth will comply with the law and they are readily available but some don’t like the way they look or feel in their ear. That’s too bad because eventually they will pay the price… if they are lucky it will only be a ticket and not result in an accident of some kind.

Law enforcement officials need to be on top of this problem and also be given the resources much like when the seat belt laws first went into effect.
While we would like to think sound reasoning and common sense should prevail the bottom line is paying a fine out of your pocket is more likely to have an impact.