According to this article posted on USA Today’s website, 38 states have or are in the process of enacting distracted driver laws. For the most part, the laws seem to target texting while driving. Some sates completely ban cell phone use while driving; others require the use of a hands-free device such as a Bluetooth headset while driving. There are a handful of states, too, which ban the use of cell phones by minors only while driving.

For the most part, these laws are difficult to enforce. In order to prove that a person was texting or talking on the phone while driving, the law enforcement involved (probably just town officer), would need to subpoena phone records from the driver’s cellular phone company. It is unlikely phone companies would want to give such information to law enforcement, as they would risk the customer switching to a different company out of irritation. Phone companies might also face privacy criticisms.

For the states that have an outright ban on the use of cell phones while driving, I must say that I do not agree. I believe these states are making a mistake when they ban cell phone use while driving because the phone can be used in emergency situations. What if you are driving and you see a vehicle swerving all over the road? Wouldn’t you feel safer living in a state which allowed you to pick up the phone and call for law enforcement? I know I would! While I agree that the intention is good, I believe that the difference in using voice activated commands to call someone and talking to a passenger are slim to none.

As mentioned, a handful of states ban cell phone use by minors while driving. I cannot allow myself to agree with this as it is discrimination. What if your 17 year old daughter were to be driving home from her fast food job late at night with an unidentified vehicle following her? Would you feel more comfortable if she were legally allowed to pick up the phone and call you, the parent, or law enforcement? I know that if I had a daughter, I would!

The reality is the greatest danger in cell phone usage while driving is the tapping of the keys. This does not only apply to texting but also to calling. Most people must take their eyes off the road to dial a number or send a text message, myself included. This really is a very dangerous activity and should be avoided when necessary and done with care in emergency situations.

The states which have enacted distracted driver laws have generally targeted activities which involve the use of cell phones. This is only half the story, considering that this article on drivers.com concludes that eating may be the top driving distraction. 58% of respondents admitted to driving while talking on the cell phone, whereas 65% admitted to driving and talking on the cell phone. Drivers assigned these tasks a danger rating of 3.8 and 4.0 out of 5 respectively.

Consider too, that police officers do all sorts of things while driving. Many modern patrol vehicles have a laptop mounted in the vehicle and facing the driver seat. This way, the driver can quickly and easily use his or her laptop to run a registration check, license check, communicate with dispatch, log events, and a myriad of other things. Police officers are often trying to find vehicles which are not registered or inspected, and also trying to catch speeding motorists. The officer will often look at the plate sticker and inspection sticker of every passing car in hopes to find one to catch. The instant on technology of radar units is also becoming increasingly popular. To use instant on, the officer would visually determine the speed of an oncoming car. If the officer feels the car is speeding, a button is pressed and his radar unit is activated to determine the speed of the car. The officer then checks the speed by looking on the control panel of his radar equipment. Is this not also distracted driving?

I believe that to combat distracted drivers, the answer is not to create silly laws which are difficult to enforce, but to truly show people the dangers of it. Brittan has already aired a public service announcement showing the dangers of texting while driving. Fox News Chicago aired a news story about the video, highlighting that the Secretary of State Jesse White wants the video to air in Chicago too. This, more than the enactment of laws, is the way to combat this danger. Many activists say that the video is too gory to show on TV, and You Tube has restricted viewing of the video to those over 18 years of age. The truth is that we must stop shielding our youth from this grave reality.