Written by Kim Kokernot
On Thursday Oct. 1, Arkansas became the 18th state to outlaw texting while driving. This state legislation also created new regulations for drivers under 18, who are now completely prohibited from using cell phones while driving, and drivers 18 to 20 years old, who must now use hands-free devices.
This law makes texting while driving a primary offense, and police will pull over anyone fiddling with their phone behind the wheel. Texting is the most common violation of this law, but e-mailing, typing or accessing the Internet on a handheld wireless phone while driving is also banned. Drivers who break this law will be fined up to $100.
If a driver under the age of 18 is pulled over for talking on a cell phone, he or she will receive a warning. Repeat offenses will result in a fine of $50.
Some students feel that the texting law is a necessary change. Freshman Tori Deecke said she has ridden with friends who were texting behind the wheel and swerved due to their lack of focus on the road.
“I think the law is a good thing because it’s really dangerous to text and drive,” Deecke said. “It really does distract you because you are looking down the whole time.”
Sophomore Vince Daugherty admitted to occasionally texting while driving, but said he avoids calling or texting someone if he knows that they are behind the wheel.
“Driving is all about seeing, and when you’re not looking at the road, you can’t see sudden changes in [traffic],” Daugherty said. “They don’t let blind people drive because you have to be able to see to pass your drivers’ test. If you’re texting and looking at your feet, you are inhibiting that sense.”
AAA and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety announced Friday Sept. 25that they are working to extend the no-texting-while-driving ban to all 50 states by 2013. The groups are asking drivers to drive distraction-free for the week of Oct. 5-11, calling it a “Heads Up Driving Week: Try it for a week, do it for life.”
“The new technologies that help us multitask in our everyday lives and increasingly popular social media sites present a hard-to-resist challenge to the typically safe driver,” said AAA President and CEORobert L. Darbelnetin an announcement on the AAA Web site. “Enacting texting bans for drivers in all 50 states can halt the spread of this dangerous practice among motorists nationwide, and is a key legislative priority for AAA in state capitols.”
The Arkansas ban on texting has been titled “Paul’s Law,” after Paul Davidison of Jonesboro, who was killed in a head-on collision. It has been reported that the driver of the other car was texting.
