A commuter is shown texting on his cell phone. The US senate introduced legislation today that seeks to ban texting while driving.
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OMG! Driving while texting might soon be illegal
Democratic senators proposed a bill Wednesday that would pressure all states to prohibit drivers from texting. Fourteen states already do.
By Tracey D. Samuelson | Contributor/ July 29, 2009 edition
Texting behind the wheel might soon be illegal if the US Senate has its way.
Democratic senators, led by Sen. Charles Schumer (D) of New York, introduced legislation today that seeks to ban texting while driving.
The legislation comes on the heels of a report released Monday which found that drivers are 23 times more likely to have an accident if texting while driving.
“Texting while driving is not just a bad habit, it’s a deadly one,” Senator Schumer said at a press conference today. “The legislation will send an important message to drivers across the country: Get your hands off the cell phone and back on the wheel.”
The sponsoring senators suggested that messaging with a cell phone while operating a vehicle is potentially even more dangerous than driving intoxicated. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) of Louisiana said new technology “cries out” for national attention.
The dangers of texting behind the wheel have received increased attention after several high profile accidents in which text messaging was thought to be to blame.
Fifty people were injured in Boston when one subway trolley collided with another in May, allegedly because the conductor was texting his girlfriend at the time of the accident. Last September, 25 people were killed in southern California in a commuter rail accident that has also been blamed on texting.
Under the proposed legislation, states would be required to pass their own bills banning texting and e-mailing while driving within two years or risk losing federal highway money. States would also set their own penalties and fines. Already, 14 states have banned texting while driving.
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Comments
3. mike M. | 07.29.09
absolutely imperative to stop this nonsense ! Eyes on the road, hands on
the wheel ! Impose stiff fines on derelicts ! We all want to live another
day ! This technology is totally out of control and in hands of children.
Whats next…whatching the ball game while driving…
There seems to be NO END to the LUNACY !
5. Jennifer Quinn | 07.29.09
Is it possible that some people actually think it’s okay to operate a motor vehicle without paying close attention to what’s ahead? This issue seems like a no-brainer. Targeting texting makes sense, since it’s easier to prove, but what about all the other things people have been seen doing when they’re supposed to be driving, such as putting on makeup, eating ice cream, reading, or watching television? I hope the penalties reflect the gross negligence involved in this type of behavior.
6. Michael Fischer | 07.29.09
This is ridiculous. I can’t believe there are any states that lack an inattentive driving law. This is yet another unnecessary law designed solely for political points. What is up next? Perhaps a law prohibiting exceeding the posted speed limit while texting? Is there no end?
7. GNYTA | 07.30.09
Amazingly, as the evidence mounts that texting is at least as dangerous as drunk driving and States and municipalities (and now the US Senate) rush to ban the practice, the NY City TLC continues to enforce a program that actually requires taxi drivers to use Blackbeery devices. This misguided program, created with the good intention of helping the disabled, forces drivers to read and respond to text messages within two minutes, even if driving on the highway or on a bridge or tunnel. Let us hope they come to their senses before innocent people are killed or injured, by drivers who are forced to be distracted reading a text message while behind the wheel.
8. Charlotte Muller | 07.30.09
Good! I think texting while driving should be illegal! Dumbest idea ever! Would you watch a movie or read a book while driving? NO! I’m sorry, but I’m a college student and if I get this, I should hope some twice my age whould too! I won’t even talk on the phone while I’m behind the wheel because I never know when I’ll need to start driving again. I really, really hope this bill passes so that no one can make this silly mistake any more.
9. Eric | 07.30.09
How exactly are the police going to discover whether or not you’re texting? All a driver would have to do is exit out of whatever they’re currently doing on the phone when they get pulled over. Sounds like a law that’s just meant to pacify vocal hand-wringers to me…
10. Doug | 07.30.09
I ride a motorcycle and drivers who text and make cell phone calls really scare the heck out of me. I see it every time I ride. I rate TWD (Texting While Driving) along side of DUI.
Doug Thompson
11. Steve Kocsis | 07.30.09
Let us be very honest: simply talking on a cell phone (with or without “hands free” technology) can be extremely distracting. AADD (ADULT Attention Deficit Disorder) is easy to slip into. We do not have to be in touch with each other 24 hours a day. Yes, in an emergency they are useful but these are, I would suspect, are rare.
12. Nat Hooper | 07.30.09
Texting behind the wheel SHOULD be illegal! Anything that distracts the driver’s attention from the road in front of him is a potential for disaster.
But I wonder how it can be enforced?
13. glenn Lego | 07.30.09
This is something that should have happened long ago–banning using a cell phone while driving! Someone else on here said it best: “We don’t have to be in touch with each other 24/7!” Although it is also true that it will be difficult to enforce it without assigning a cop to every driver on the road!
14. G. Cook | 07.30.09
Talking with a passenger while driving is just as distracting as talking on a cell phone (hands-on or hands-free), from my experience on both ends of the driver/passenger-or-caller relationship.
Are we going to ban talking in cars, too?
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1. damien | 07.29.09
Not only should driving and texting be illegal, driving and talking on a phone (at least without a hands-free headset) should be illegal, too. It’s clearly very dangerous for most people.