If you've been on the road enough lately, you've seen it: A driver looking down, holding a cell phone, trying to type with a thumb while the other hand steers the vehicle. It's called texting and driving. And it's driving some of us crazier.
It's not just at stop lights, either. Which is bad enough when the horns start blowing to alert the inattentive. But we've seen folks, eyes down, thumbs a-blazin', going down the highway at 70 mph. Worse, we've seen folks doing this kinda stuff in school zones, while kids are zipping in and around cars.
There's a bill before the Ledge this session that would increase fines for texting and driving. Senate Bill 374 would increase the penalty to $250 for first offense and $500 for second. The penalties could be doubled if there's a crash involved.
Our considered editorial opinion: Heck yes.
We had an insurance agent tell us what he tells folks to do first after a car accident: Put down the phone.
Driving under the influence is dangerous. Even if the influence is an incoming text. Maybe it's time for something the cops call Negative Reinforcement. Which is unpleasant, but not as unpleasant as a crash scene.
Editorial on 03/15/2017