Texting While Driving

On New Year's Day of 2008, my family and I were driving in our Volkswagen Jetta heading south on Ranch Road 620 after leaving Lakeline Mall. Seconds after stopping at a red light we felt the impact of our car forced forward after a Toyota Tundra slammed into us at full speed.

The driver of the Tundra did not brake nor did he see the stop light turn red because he was too busy looking down to pull out his ringing cell phone form his jeans' pocket.

Thankfully, our Jetta lived up to its slogan of "Safe happens." My family escaped unharmed as well as our car for the most part. I can not say the same for the Tundra though, it was totaled.

While we were lucky that our accident was not severe, I believe that cell phones are quickly rising as one of the main reasons for the causes of car accidents and that texting while driving is the more prominent reason for automobile accidents similar to mine.

Both the Texas State Legislature and the Austin City Council agree, and are currently tightening driving laws concerning cell phone usage while driving.

The Legislature has passed Texas House Bill 55, which outlaws the use of handheld devices in school zones and HB 339 which prohibits drivers under the age of 17, with restricted licenses, from texting or talking on cell phones.

Both laws took effect on Sept. 1, however, I do not believe that they are enough to decrease the number of automobile accidents similar to mine from occurring. While these measures are a step forward in preventing drivers from driving while distracted, more can be done to ensure a safer motorway for all drivers.

The new law concerning driving while using your cell phone for drivers under 17 years of age should apply to drivers of all ages. Those above that age do share responsibility for creating such unsafe driving situations as well, including the 21-year-old who rear ended our Jetta.

The Austin City Council's unanimous decision on Aug. 31 to begin drafting an ordinance to ban texting while driving will fill the gaps in the Texas law, I believe.

It is expected that the ordinance will enact a ban that will prevent drivers from using their cell phones for anything other than making phone calls or GPS.

I like the ordinance the council has proposed over the new laws enacted by the Legislature because it focuses on the most dangerous way to use a cell phone while driving.

On the other hand, a ban on texting while driving is not an end all situation. The ordinance will successfully lower the number of cell phone related motor accidents, but will not stop all drivers from texting when driving.

The city will need to educate the public about the dangers of texting while driving to ensure the maximum effect of the ordinance will take place.

The recent texting while driving public service announcement released over the summer in Britain that has garnered international success on YouTube and numerous media outlets is an excellent, if not gruesome, example of how the city council could educate the public about the dangers of texting while driving.

Texting while driving poses a greater risk than talking on your cell phone while driving, and both the state of Texas and the city of Austin are on the right track to creating a safer motorway for all drivers.