Texting and Driving

By: Nicole Gross

If you were ever asked to drive down the highway, blind folded, I hope that you would not think twice about it. Taking your eyes off of the road while being behind the wheel, for as little as four seconds, could change your life and someone else’s life forever. That is what could happen when you text while driving. Texting and driving has been a huge controversy for years. Many people have tried to get a bill through Congress, but a law has never been enacted for Pennsylvania making texting and driving illegal.

On Thursday, March 8, 2012, the state banned all digital messaging while driving. An anti-texting law that was signed four months ago by Governor Tom Corbett finally went into effect. Police officers are now allowed to pull over drivers who seem to be reading, sending, or receiving a message. If you are pulled over, the police are permitted to cite you for texting even if no other infraction is committed. You will be fined $50 but with other add-on fines it could come to roughly $140, although no points will be assessed against licenses. Pennsylvania is the 35th state to ban texting and driving but for it to be a successful law, it has to be enforced. There are many different opinions on this new law, some agree with it and some disagree. Some people say why should texting and driving be illegal but eating and driving is still legal, they are both equally dangerous. I asked Seton-La Salle’s drivers ed teacher, Mr. Rutter, what his thought was on the new law. “I am 100% in favor of it. Texting causes people to glide through stop signs and distracts them. Hand held devices should have never been an issue, but now that they are illegal I hope that this eliminates the number of accidents,” he said. I hope that everyone stops the use of cell phones in the car, although talking on the phone is still legal. You should be focused on the road and not be distracted from the conversation you are having on the phone. In my opinion, the phone call can wait until you are pulled over. No phone call or text message is worth losing your life over.

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