Just as bad as DWI

In driver education, they throw a lot of videos at you about what can happen if you’re not careful when you drive. Most of the horror stories involve drunk driving, but over the last few years they’ve been warning about using cell phones while driving, too.

It’s not just about talking on a phone while driving, though. Now there’s texting while driving, and it’s dangerous enough that 19 states have already banned texting while driving. Anti-texting laws are being considered in 23 other states as well.

Is texting really all that dangerous that it has to be singled out specifically? People already talk on cell phones, eat and deal with kids in the backseat while driving. There’s plenty of distracted driving out there; it’s not just texting.

Texting is dangerous, even more than talking on a cell phone. Yes, talking on a phone while driving is distracting and has caused accidents, but at least when people talk and drive they’re theoretically still looking at the road. When people text they’re looking at a phone, not where they’re going.

Is texting so important that you feel the need to do it right then? It can’t wait? Chances are the text isn’t an emergency – if something is really wrong, people will likely just call you. If it really is that important, then pull off the road into a gas station or restaurant and sit in the parking lot. Worried that you’re going to be late for class or work if you take the time to do that? You’re going to be really late if you run your car into a tree while you’re fumbling with your phone.

Some of the states that have passed a no-texting law are only able to do it for the under-18 crowd, but that’s not enough. New drivers have less experience and are more likely to crash, but a 30-year-old who’s paying more attention to typing a message than to other cars is also likely to cause a wreck. Let’s not discriminate against the feared teenage drivers; texting bans should apply to everyone.

And pretty soon, they might. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., introduced a federal anti-texting bill, the Avoiding Life-Endangering and Reckless Texting by Drivers (or “ALERT Drivers”) Act, which includes a stipulation of cutting state highway funding 25 percent for states that don’t uphold it. The bill is currently in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and there is no word on when a vote will take place.

Indiana does not currently have an anti-texting law, but Sen. Timothy Lane, D-Anderson, proposed one that, if passed, would make it a Class-C misdemeanor and mean that offenders could face a $500 fine or an additional jail time of up to six months – and that’s only for first-time offenders in accidents that don’t cause injury or death.

Anti-texting laws are being considered across the nation. It’s not just a fad or an attempt to win political support. Texting while driving is dangerous: Is sending a message to your friend worth potentially losing your life?