Ok, call me crazy, but why do we need legislation banning texting while driving? Shouldn't people know that texting while driving can be deadly? Don't you hear a 'duh'? In fact, according to Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, research shows that 6,000 people a year die because they're driving while texting. Admittedly, I can barely talk on the phone behind the wheel. I simply can't wrap my brain idea around the idea of texting while driving. I text a lot, but behind the wheel of a car? This is utter madness.
If Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) have their way, the Distracted Driving Prevention Act of 2009 will ban texting while driving, which also includes checking email, using a PDA or a GPS unit. This ban also seeks to put an end to drivers who make calls without using a headset. There's also a bill introduced by Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called the Alert Drivers Act. And President Obama has already moved on this ban by issuing an executive order that will bar federal employees from texting while driving if using a government car or mobile device. And even Arnold the Governator has outlawed texting while driving in California.
My, have times changed. When I was growing up cell phones were not the norm. In fact, it wouldn't be until 1984 that we (the masses) would see cell phones, which were about the size of a brick and cost around a hefty $4300. The idea of a phone in the car was reserved for the rich...and we only saw this in movies.
Of course, now everyone has a cell phone. And everyone is texting, which is fine, but behind the wheel of a car? Let's put this madness to an end...and not too soon.
