Is it really harder to text wearing handcuffs?
Driving While Texting? That’s right, as of July 1st we Virginians are no longer allowed to drive and text, email, or even read texts or emails. You can still use your phone to make calls while driving, which is more than the folks in D.C. are allowed, but it still may frustrate some folks. However, even though I am a “chronic texter” I am still glad this legislation passed.
Why? Why would I want another law that can possibly bite me in the hindquarters to be signed? Well, it helps force me to do something I already know is a bad idea. Personally I think cellphones in general are a terrible idea. Sure, they remove the leash and allow me to work out of my office, but they add another leash where anyone can reach me any time.
Let’s face facts: Driving is a difficult thing to do well. It is not particularly difficult to drive, but to drive without hitting anything and obey the laws is difficult. It both requires and deserves our full attention. When I was an insurance agent I had dozens of commercial clients who were in accidents as a result of cell phone conversations. Imagine how bad those accidents would have been if they had both hands off the wheel trying to type out a text!
The bill name is HB 1786 and I encourage anyone who uses their phone on the go to read it. It is somewhat refreshing to see some common sense legislation. Although I am not a huge fan of the “nanny state”, this one makes sense to me because I have witnessed the damage inattention while driving can do first hand. Do yourself a favor: Don’t text and drive.
