Texting While Driving

The Florida legislature is considering passing a law banning texting while driving. Actually, they are considering several laws that feature texting, though some address a wider range of distractions. Do we need a law to specifically address texting while driving?

First, let me make something clear. I think sending text messages while driving down the road is dangerous. I think anything that takes too much of a driver's attention from the road is dangerous.

But why do we need a law specific to texting? What about talking on a cell phone? Is it OK, or only OK if you're using a hands-free set? If you can't carry on a phone conversation without being a distracted driver, can you carry on a conversation with someone in the vehicle without being distracted? Do we need separate laws for all of these? Should we have a law against grooming while driving (shaving and applying makeup)? What about those folks who read newspapers and novels while driving?

I don't doubt that texting is more likely to cause an accident than other distractions, but does that mean it deserves its own law? Will it be any comfort to the family of someone killed by a distracted driver that the crash was caused by someone shaving rather than texting?

When you add to that the fact that some of the leading bills under consideration are "secondary enforcement" (police can only enforce them when they stop a driver for some other offense), and this is just a waste of time. Passage of one of these bills will grab a headline or two, and then fade away, leaving the public to think that "something has been done."

People who are at fault for crashes are liable for the results. If the penalties available aren't severe enough, then that is where we should be directing our efforts. If we want to stop distracted driving, make it illegal to have anything in the driver's hand that isn't the steering wheel, and let law enforcement officers pull over offenders.

I think we're better off simply doing nothing than going to the trouble passing legislation that does nothing.