Iowans are good drivers!

It's funny that I should choose to write about texting laws, because at the moment, America's Worst Driver (America's Worst TV Show) is on TV. I'm not sure how much these people text or call whilst driving, but I know that I do sometimes. I know, it's not safe, but I have to respond!

Normally I talk about Congress and the federal government. Now, however, I am going to talk about the Iowa legislature and their attempts at curbing cell phone use in vehicles. They're trying to pass a ban on texting while driving, but what I didn't know until a few days ago is that they are also trying to ban handheld electronic use entirely. That includes talking on your cell phone. Yes, I do both sometimes without a law against it. Would I support a ban? Yes. I think that using a cell phone, especially texting, can add incredible danger to an already dangerous activity. Talking on the phone takes a hand out of use and distracts you. Texting while driving takes (for some) two hands, your concentration, and your eyes.

However, some of the proposed rules make me think twice about a ban. The first one is that the current house bill bans only the sending of text messages, not the reading. Does that make sense? Well, the fact that you are forced to keep your hands on the wheel is good. But you shouldn't be able to read text messages! That takes your eyes off the road for far too long.

Plus, how will cops be able to tell which you are doing? Any texting law seems hard to enforce unless it is for every driver holding a phone. However, it would still be hard to prove. Cops can prove that you were speeding with radar, but how will they prove that you were texting?

The second stipulation was the one that made me scream. The Iowa house changed their bill to ban only teenage drivers (16-17). What good is that going to do? Teenagers make up a small portion of drivers on the road, and adults text just as much. Adults might even talk on the phone more than teenagers. How many soccer moms do you know that are always on the phone when they're chauffering their children? I know a few.

And another problem for cops: are they supposed to guess who's a teenager? Should we be forced to put stickers on our car that announce, "TEEN DRIVER?" It seems outrageous.

Targeting teenagers for texting seems like a cheap way to ticket them to get them off the road. More than that, though, it allows the adult legislators to continue using their phones when they drive.