Pembroke Sentinel

Safe Driving Law is Here to Prevent Driving While Distracted

Thursday, October 21, 2010 By

Distracted driving ends the lives thousands of people every year. People’s loved ones and friends are killed for senseless reasons. Countless lives are cut short for a phone call or a text message. On September 29 th , Massachusetts put a new law into effect that will help to prevent such tragedies from occurring. The new law, commonly known as the texting while driving law, prevents people under the age of eighteen from using a mobile device while driving, unless it is an emergency situation. Those over the age of eighteen cannot text, but may use a phone as long as it does not effect their driving and they keep one hand on the wheel at all times. Opponents of the law feel that it is drastic and inconvenient, but distracted driving calls for drastic measures. People can hardly walk through a hallway or down a street while texting never mind drive down a road. The human brain is not made for multi-tasking. Driving requires people’s complete attention. Seldom do drivers have a legitimate reason for talking on a phone or texting while driving. If a driver does need to use a mobile device, they can easily pull to the side of the road. Critics of the law also complain that it is unfair that talking on the phone while driving is only illegal for drivers under the age of eighteen. To begin with, inexperienced drivers are the most dangerous. They have not been licensed for a long enough period of time to be completely comfortable with driving. Therefore, new driver’s attention should be focused on the road, not on a mobile device. Drivers over the age of eighteen have been licensed for a considerable amount of time and have been exposed to more conditions and situations on the road. This experience allows them to feel more comfortable on the road, and they are better able to drive and talk simultaneously. The new texting while driving law will save lives. There are plenty of simple solutions to driver’s woes about the law. If they must use a mobile device, drivers can pull over with very little hassle. The earliest a driver can receive a license is sixteen years old. Therefore, for critics who find the law unfair, drivers are only minors for two years. Regardless of the argument, there is nothing inconvenient or drastic about a law that will save lives.