Roger Porter
June 24, 2011
I can’t remember the last time I stood in support of new legislation coming from congress so I guess you can say it’s rare but in the case of The Safe Drivers Act of 2011 I can’t help but to thank Rep. Carolyn McCarthy and others who are now publicizing the potential law. This act would set a national standard to prohibit drivers from using handheld mobile devices while driving except for in emergency situations.
Seriously texting while driving is out of control. It’s kind of like a largely unspoken addiction. I’m sure people know the feeling when you’re on the freeway minding your own business and you feel your phone go off in your pocket. You try to ignore it but you can’t resist seeing who the text is from. After all “It might be something important,” you reason, which is stupid because whatever the message is if it were that important the person would have actually called.
So the next thing you know you’re involved in a meaningless textversation about being on the freeway while actually on the freeway placing your life and all of the other drivers’ lives in danger—it’s so dumb! I’m not going to say I’ve never done it but I can say that I’m in the process of making a serious change.
Ever since 18-year-old Kaitlyn Dunaway killed a 2-year-old girl and injured the girl’s mother in Rohnert Park, CA because she was texting while driving I have made a very strong effort to keep my cell phone in the glove compartment anytime I’m behind the wheel. Kaitlyn Dunaway is only a freshman in college and now she’ll have to deal with the burden of knowing she killed a little girl for the rest of her life. And just to think, she was probably sending a text that read; “I’m right up the street.”
Needless to say I’m going to do everything that I can to prevent myself from ever having to be in that situation. If I have to miss some important million dollar text message while I’m on the road to preserve human life then so be it. Texting while driving is a very real problem and I’m glad the federal government is planning to do something about it.