Outlawing texting isn’t the answer

Outlawing texting isn’t the answer

I believe there needs to be discussion of a better way to solve the problem of texting while driving other than simply banning it. Without a doubt, texting while driving is dangerous and has been a known cause of many accidents throughout the country. However, in most of the places that texting while driving has been outlawed, there has actually been a rise in the number of accidents.

The Highway Loss Data Institute released information stating these laws caused more accidents related to texting than accidents before the law was enacted. I believe this is because rather than drivers following the law they have gone out of their way to continue the bad habit but avoid being caught. For instance, these drivers may be trying to keep their cell phones out of the sights of other drivers, specifically law enforcement, and therefore are paying less attention to the road.

While it will not be easy to find a better solution than making texting while driving illegal, I think it needs to be done. If these laws have only led to more accidents they should be re-evaluated and hopefully lead to a new way to keep the roads safe.

Rebecca Steh, Liberty