Do u txt and drv?  Do u no sm1 who does?

If you do you aren’t alone; a recent statewide survey revealed that over half of Missouri’s young drivers admit to texting while driving.  An admittedly dangerous habit to have, but until recently a fully legal activity.  On Friday, August 28,^th a new law was signed in making it officially illegal for persons under the age of 21 to be texting while driving.  This law inducts Missouri into the long list of states that in recent time have implemented cell phone usage laws and bans.

But is a specific age ban really enough?  The law explicitly states that drivers under 21 may not be caught texting and driving or face a $200 fine and two points on their driver’s license, a severe fine for an action that endangers your life and the lives of those around you.  People under the age of 21 can text.  Well, many can text without even having to look at their phones.  People over the age of 21, specifically those in their 30s-40s, are not nearly as gifted when it comes to the keypad. They present just as much a risk to fellow drivers as do young adults, but the law says nothing to adults having to not text and drive.

Resource officer Cherie Gault states “I think that there are a lot of distractions in a car.  If you have a distraction that could basically cause a death, you should be more responsible.”  She also revealed that officers can indeed recognize a person who is texting while driving.  The motion of their head is a key indicator.  At times, a person even holds the cell phone up in order to “see the road while texting.”

Alex Robbins is a senior at Springfield’s Kickapoo High School and is part of the large group of youth who feel that the law is unfairly aimed at teenagers.  “I think it’s good that there’s a law in  place to ATTEMPT to prevent texting while driving, but that it’s unfairly directed towards young drivers when it should apply to ALL drivers,” Robbins stated.  “Even though distracted teens cause a lot of wrecks, distracted adults can cause the exact same thing.”

Many people feel the same including current adult Sharon Martin, “The law should apply to all people; I know that if I tried to text that I would end up in the ditch somewhere still trying to type out the first word.  It makes sense that the law would have no age-limit.”

But the law does not, and Missouri’s first law on cell phone limits is perhaps among the weakest in the nation.  Most states in the union have already created some form of cell phone usage law, usually pertaining to the usage of phones by bus drivers, state employees, and other government employees.  Some states have gone so far as an all out ban in texting and driving for all ages such as New York.  California has among the most severe cell phone laws in the country, with nearly every niche filled with some form of restriction and ban.  The new law may be a sign that Missouri is heading in the right direction as far as driver’s safety, but as far as fairness and national standing goes, it has catching up to do.  G2G.

By: Zack Martin

Don't text and drive