TTFN to texting: State was right to ban text messaging while driving

Say ""l8r"" to texting while driving once December comes around.

The legislature just passed a law that will prohibit texting and the reading of text messages on cell phones while driving on public roads.

It's about time.

This new law will seem like an inconvenience to many" but all hope is not lost.

Texting while parked is still legal.

That means that checking and responding to messages while in a parking lot or while pulled over to the side of the road is still perfectly fine.

It's true that needing to be parked in order to text others sounds like an inconvenience but think of the danger that it prevents.

All it takes is one extra distraction.

One typo in need of correction or one glance to read a new message is enough time to miss someone cutting into the lane or a deer jumping out onto the road.

Those occurrences may not happen every single day but they are at least worth

considering.

Yes many people with cell phones have texted and looked at messages without anything going wrong.

Many people also get drunk before driving and reach their destinations just fine.

The governor and state lawmakers understand those risks.

Our elected officials are not asking residents to stop texting altogether.

They're just making sure drivers prioritize while using public roads.