Driving home from school one evening your cell phone starts buzzing at you with the latest text from your girlfriend. You know she had a meeting with her professor after class and truly want to know what happened...but should you check your messages? Should you attempt to text her back while driving at interstate speeds?
Nearly half of young adults aged 18-24 would answer these questions with a "yes". During a survey of Americans, Findlaw.com found that drivers between this age were more likely to have sent a text message, an instant message or email while driving. In the age group of 25-34, almost 27% admitted to these dangerous driving behaviors.
"The potential legal implications of texting while driving go far beyond the possibility of a mere traffic violation," said Stephanie Rahlfs, an attorney at FindLaw.com. "In the case of a traffic accident, proof that the driver was texting while driving may be used to help prove liability for the accident, even in states that do not ban texting while driving."
Already four states, Alaska, Minnesota, New Jersey and Washington, have made it illegal to text while driving. One driver, aged 25 who didn't wish her name to be used, stated "As long as I'm not texting beside a cop car and I'm following the rules of the road, I don't care if it's illegal", and while many share the views of this anonymous texting addict, most don't realize the danger they are putting themselves and others in.
Like drivers who are impaired due to drugs or alcohol, those who text and chat while driving are more likely to miss a light changing from green to red, they are more likely to swerve into another lane without realizing it and ultimately are more likely to take another's life due to a traffic accident simply because they needed to hear the latest gossip from their friends.
What do you think? Should texting while driving be illegal everywhere? What about just simply talking on cell phones? Do you drive while under the influence of technology? Tell us about it and let us hear your opinions!
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