Texting and driving ban will make roads safer

Driving to meet a friend, your phone indicates you have a new message. Your friend wants to know where you are. The easy thing to do would be to call back and explain that you're on your way, but instead you reply with a short text. An eye for an eye, a text for a text. Every day millions of people send text messages from behind the wheel. This seems harmless, especially to people who engage in the activity with little consequence, but texting and driving are two things that should never go together. On Oct. 20 the Wisconsin Senate passed a bill to ban all driver texting, following a similar proposal to only ban teens from the activity. Both plans are going to be considered by the State Assembly, and Gov. Jim Doyle has said he would approve the legislation for a full ban on driver texting. To only ban teen drivers from texting would prove more difficult to enforce and would also ignore the fact that texting has become a problem amongst drivers of all ages. The Department of Transportation reported 6,000 deaths last year and 500,000 injuries were the result of driver distractions such as texting. President Obama has addressed the nation's growing problem by making an example of federal employees. According to the New York Times, Obama signed an executive order on Sept. 30 that bans federal employees from texting behind the wheel while they are conducting government business. The ban affected 4.5 million employees and military personnel. Something like text messaging should not be on a president's agenda of legislation, but the dangers it causes on the road has made this a reality. According to De Pere City Attorney Judy Schmidt-Lehman, a texting ban would be enforced the same way similar traffic violations are enforced, like safety-belt violations. If an officer sees a person texting on the phone, they will likely be pulled over. Schmidt-Lehman said texting already falls under the inattentive driving law, but that the current focus on texting is why the ban has been proposed. Inattentive driving laws don't do enough to curb the texting trend. According to Lt. Keith Rosin of the Green Bay Police Department, the citation for inattentive driving can really only be issued after there has been an accident caused by the driver's distraction. "If they feel there's that many people texting and driving, and if it's causing a safety issue, then I think it'd be a good law." Rosin said. Rosin admits that enforcing the law would be more difficult than enforcing things like safety-belt laws, though. He said people may just take to hiding the phone at a level officers wouldn't be able to see. This is an unfortunate prediction. Such behavior could cause drivers to be even more distracted. "Personally, I would never text while I was driving." Rosin said. "It's even more dangerous than talking on the phone while driving. Even to dial a number on the phone while you're driving is unsafe, as far as I'm concerned." Texting bans send a clear message to the masses. Despite knowing the dangers of using a free hand to text, and knowing it can take eyes off of the road, drivers need an incentive not to do it. Knowing that something is dangerous isn't enough-it has to be illegal, too. Passing laws won't cure the problem. Some people, probably older adults, will actually get the message and stop texting. Young adults and teens, though, will remain the largest problem. Being part of the most troublesome texting groups, young adults, know the dangers texting poses on the road, but they still zip around campus and the greater Green Bay area typing away. Many people have experienced slight love taps with the curb while sending a text, and some may even have swerved into another lane (though no one was in it)-it never seems like a big deal, but horrible things can result from driver distraction,.It's important for lawmakers to do everything they can to keep drivers and their passengers safe. Texting and driving bans aren't just a good idea-they're a necessary one.