Don't 'text' and drive

The possible implication of text-messaging in a fatal car crash in New York raises an urgent issue.

By Tom Regan | Columnist

from the September 12, 2007 edition

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Recently I pulled up to the traffic light at the intersection near my home. As I waited for the light to change, I glanced over at the car next to me. The young driver wasn't paying any attention to the light – instead, she was madly text-messaging on her cellphone. I thought once the signal changed she would stop, but no, she continued to text one-handed as she drove off.

She's not the only one risking her life and yours. A recent survey by Zogby International found that two-thirds of drivers ages 18 to 24 use their cellphones to text-message while driving.

It makes me want to stay inside and never go out on the road again, ever.

Many young people seem to love text-messaging – anywhere, anytime. But there's growing concern that "anywhere, anytime" could lead to some serious, if not deadly, consequences.

Police say text-messaging could have played a role in a crash in June near Rochester, N.Y., that killed five recent high school graduates. The Buffalo (N.Y.) News reports that seconds before the crash, the driver's cellphone received a text message – and the sender received a response.

Police don't know if the driver was the one who responded to the text message. They say driver inexperience, a dangerous passing maneuver, and speed were factors in the crash.

You might yell, "There oughta be a law!" There are – a few. Thirteen states and the District of Columbia have passed laws, and 15 others are considering it. California's Assembly, for instance, recently passed a law that prohibits anyone under the age of 18 from using laptop computers, cellphones, pagers, or any other text-messaging device while driving. (I don't want to even think about a 16-year-old using a laptop while doing 60 miles an hour.) It's an open question as to how much laws will help.

It's going to be hard to get teen­agers to stop using technology in the car when everyone over the age of 18 can still zoom down the highway, texting the miles away. (Remember, the Zogby poll says two-thirds of 18- to 24-year-olds are doing it.) And last time I checked, telling the difference between an 18-year-old and a 17-year-old teenager is not an exact science. It's also pretty easy for a teen to keep the cellphone out of sight while texting in a car.

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