Comments about ‘91% of Utahns support texting law’

The problem with this law is that it is trying to legislate common sense and opens a can of worms for the police. How do they know if you are dialing a phone number (not illegal) or texting before they pull you over? I have seen people reading books and driving and doing all sorts of stupid things. We cannot legislate against every stupid thing people will do. We need to educate people as to the dangers and trust that they will be smarter when they understand the consequences.

Now that they have the law in place, I hope judges who convict for this make them watch 4 hours of shows like the Dr. Phil show on texting etc to drill it into their heads what kinds of risks they are taking.

I concur with the ban on texting while driving, although there should be an allowance for when one is stopped in traffic and can safely text. I'm not convinced that the oft-cited research from the U is accurate enough to dictate a complete ban on cell phone use while driving. Go ahead and dig into the studies and you'll see that there are several confounding variables that aren't addressed, as is typical in these types of studies. Too often the press culls the headlines they want from the study without reading it in detail and the public gets a slanted view of what the study results were. Not everyone can juggle, play the drums, or even walk and chew gum at the same time. I'm in favor of a test that determines whether or not one can talk on a cell phone and drive safely at the same time.

Why don't we prosecute driving impaired by your cell phone to the same extent that we prosecute driving impaired by alcohol? Either way, you are choosing to endanger others. And there's arguably less excuse for texting while driving. Alcoholism has a physiological basis. What's the pressing need for texting while you drive?

I love how the article cites fatalities in a particular accident which was a result of texting. Implied is the concept that with this new law, we'll never have to worry about that again.

Yet go into the Trib and you'll see yet another accident (with injuries but happily no deaths) caused by a drunk driver. Which, as we know, has been illegal for quite some time, and still happens, all the time.

My point?? Distracted driving is already illegal. The guy who killed two people while texting was still able to be found guilty of vehicular homicide even without a texting law. Had a cop seen him swerving around beforehand, he'd have had cause to pull the guy over and ticket him.

So, tell me what this law changes?

Nothing. It's a feel-good law. It's redundant to laws already on the books. And it will be ignored by people who didn't care beforehand about driving safely and still don't. And people will still die.

But, hey, at least you get to feel like you did something. Even if you didn't.

Of all the senses,
the common one,
is the most rare.

What are most laws if not legislating common sense?

If everyone in society were capable of using common sense we would probably have only 10% of the laws that are on the books.

91% of us use phones will driving, including texting or reading messages.

Then 91% of you are choosing to drive impaired. The stigma for drunk driving may be worse, but the principle is pretty similar.

The legislature should have gone 1 step further and made it illegal to be on a cell phone while driving. Talking on a cell phone still diverts some of your attention from the road, thus making you an impaired driver. Let the passenger be on the cell phone texting or talking. And if it's an emergency, take the chance of getting a ticket. Too many people think they can drive safely and talk at the same time (sorry moms and teens) but it's been proven that is not so.

TEXT NO MORE, FOREVER...NNNNNNNOOOOOOTTTTTTT!!!!!!!

im deaf.. i notice alot of hearing do alot of texting too... we deaf have to text, because cant hear the cell phone...

understand the new laws... must obey them to prevent any car accidents may hurt u or other drivers.. pls be responsable!!!

PULL OVER THE SIDE OR PARKING LOT AND READ AND TEXT!!!!

Making anyone watch that much Dr. Phil is banned by the US Constitution under cruel and unusual punishment.

maybe we should ban listening to radio or talking to someone in the passenger seat. How about banning children in the back seat, what a distraction.

What a bunch of complainers. If someone willingly takes their eyes off the road to text resulting in an accident they deserve to be held liable. We don't police ourselves so legislation is the result. Your whining about this law is as hollow as whining about having to wear seat belts, obey the speed limit, or anything else which promotes safety in vehicles. Save your silly anti-government garbage and use your brain.

This "Now Generation") bunch of idiots with the "me first and I'm the most important person alive attitude" drive me nuts. Where has any part of sanity and manners(called up bringing) gone? Greed, greed, me, me, seems to have completely taken over.

just too many movie stars with out the money!!!Snap out of or the big director will end the show!!

What I think is being missed by those who think the law does nothing is the following. Let's say there is a fatality resulting from a vehicle accident. As the law enforcement official(s) inspect the
vehicle(s) involved they find a cell phone that may have been in use at the time of the accident. They can then check the cell phone records (probable cause)and determine if texting was taking place. If it was then the appropriate prosecution could take place, no?

@Too many laws and Tech Freaks
You both make good points. There is no question that this whole issue is a result of the public school system's failure to teach old fashioned values such as common sense and respect for others. Our school system has become obsessed with teaching the politically correct view that there is nothing wrong with immediate self-gratification, regardless of the consequences to self or others. There was a time in this Country when there would have been no question that this irresponsible dangerous behavior would not be tolerated. It is truly depressing that almost 10% of our society disagrees.

People's lives are at stake every time they share the road with an impaired or distracted driver. Whether it's DUI, cell phone use, kids screaming in the back seat, the result is the same: a driver navigating a potentially lethal weapon down the road without being in complete control of the vehicle.

Most people, fortunately, get away with it, without causing serious harm to people or property.

On the occassions where irresponsibility leads to a serious accident, we need laws that can be used to punish irresponsible drivers.

As for enforcing the no texting while driving law: a citation, isn't a guilty verdict. The alledged texter can certainly go to court with phone records in hand to prove that they were in fact NOT texting.

I think this law should apply to law enforcement reading their lap top computers. I have seen many many times these guys get very distracted while looking at their laptops, and thats just as dangerous.

I agree that driving while texting is bad. But is a seperate law really necessary? Aren't there other charges already in existence that cover this sort of thing?