Michigan has become the 23rd state to ban texting while driving. Beginning July 1, 2010, the bill makes reading and sending text messages while driving a primary offense. Violators can be fined up to $100 for the first offense, and $200 if caught again. Governor Granholm will sign the bill during a safe driving rally in Detroit on Friday. Oprah Winfrey’s “No Phone Zone” special will be aired live during the rally.
Distracted drivers make up nearly 20 percent of all accidents, with teens being among the most likely to cause the accident. Almost 6,000 teens are killed yearly due to driver distractions. Many admit to texting or engaging in other driver distractions. While some admit texting and driving is dangerous, they are not necessarily for the ban.
I wonder if watching this Public Service Announcement (PSA) on texting and driving would change their minds. Although this PSA is quite graphic, it does send a strong message especially to teenagers. The spot depicts three teenage girls texting while driving, resulting in a head-on collision with another vehicle. The camera lingers on three bloodied faces, shattering the windshield, and, of a crying child, whose parents were killed instantly in the "other car", pleading for her parents to wake up.
Please share this PSA with everyone, especially those that feel so strongly about engaging in driving distractions. Don’t let this happen to those you love.
Comments
There are a lot of other distractions besides phones. One of the worst distractions of all is having young kids in the car with a single adult driver. Kills thousands of people a year. You could make a gory PSA about it, too. When are you going to jump on the safety bandwagon and ban daycare carpools?
That's the problem with the government acting as Nanny. It seems very reasonable, until the same standards for "safety" get applied to something you want to do.
The net effect of this law is similar to the Arizona immigration law. By making it a primary offense, it gives police a plausible reason to stop drivers and conduct profiling or other fishing expeditions, and courts an excuse to subpoena text message logs. "I thought I saw him texting". It's a bad law, and will hurt society more than it helps.
schools have been talking about this with the students. yesterday my 15 year old daughter told me that as her bus was pulling out o the school parking lot another teenage girl was pulling out in front of them. texting while driving. the bus had to slam on their brakes and she didn't have a clue what she had just done as she drove away still texting. not only did she put her life in danger but about 23-30 other kids that were on that bus. people need to wake up and realize that teens need more rules when behind the wheel. maybe this law is a way to prevent such situations in the future.
I agree there are many distractions while driving - talking on the phone, changing the radio, eating, yelling at the kids, shaving, and the list goes on. I am not advocating that the government "police" every aspect of our lives. What I do strongly support is being responsible and putting safety first. It is proven that driver distractions cause more accidents and take more lives. If you wait until it happens to you or a loved one before you understand this and act responsibly, it may be too late.
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