A Deadly Message

Ashley Major

Columnist

During a recent car ride home with friends, I was startled to look up and find not a single pair of eyes focused on the road ahead. All three of my otherwise cautious and responsible companions appeared to be too absorbed in their Blackberrys to notice where our car was headed. After frantically screaming for them to look up from their handheld obsessions, it hit me how easily all of our lives could have changed in seconds.
It has become a habit many of us feel we are in control of and likewise cannot see how our actions are putting lives at risk. Texting and driving is claiming upwards of 6,000 lives annually and with an increase of information readily available via smartphones as well as an undeniable addiction to other devices, this figure is only destined to increase. According to national statistics, 81 percent of the American population takes their eyes off the road to send and receive text messages while behind the wheel. Moreover, out of this demographic of distracted drivers, 28 percent are between the 18-29 age demographic.
The bone of contention is that current laws are not protecting us from this unnecessary risk on Virginia’s roads. If texting and driving is statistically comparable to drinking and driving, I believe laws must be made to hold those rightfully accountable. By doing so, I propose that the mentality of casually texting and driving can be remodeled as similarly achieved in the 1980s when drinking and driving adopted legal consequence.
In January 2010, Virginia House of Delegates Bill 212 was presented, however, ultimately failed to pass. The bill proposed that other than law-enforcement vehicles and factory installed GPS systems, the use of a handheld device resulted in a $20 fine for a first offense and a $50 fine for a second offense. Furthermore, this is a secondary offense, meaning that texting while driving can only be penalized if the driver is pulled over for a primary offense, like running a stop sign.
After a revision of awakening statics, and testimonies of those who have suffered or been injured from texting and driving, a mere fine is shamefully inadequate. The notion of the citation being a secondary offense and only presented after the initial offense, suggests that texting while driving is neither detrimental nor is it worthy of law enforcement’s time.
It may also be said that the bill was intentionally unsuccessful, as bills sent to the state Senate are commonly so. The reasoning behind the bill’s nemesis is that the status quo is extremely hard to counter once set in place. Virginia is reluctant to enact penalties until comprehensive and sound evidence is made supporting its claim. Long, committed, researched data is the key to any successful movement within our political system, regardless of how blatant the issue appears.
The real tragedy of texting and driving is that each case carries a burning truth; it was completely avoidable. In 2007, 9-year-old Erica was riding her bike outside her Colorado home when she was struck and killed by an SUV. The driver later admitted to be making a phone call when she hit the little girl.
The reality of these stories is not that these people are murderers or possessed malicious intent. The reality is that they are no different from my best friend driving me home and sending a quick text, or me innocently looking down to answer a call while driving to class. Sending a text message could cost you everything, and no message is that important. Texting and driving is not of light subject matter nor is it one that can remain quietly appeased by our ignorance.