New Texting Law

Yesterday Governor Beshear signed the law banning texting while driving. What does it mean for us? This law will not suddenly make people put their cell phones away and pay attention to the road. If you drive around Lexington for more than a few minutes I am sure you will see at least one driver looking down at a cell phone rather than the road. Kentucky had over 57,000 crashes last year caused by driver inattention. We can pass laws to draw attention to the problem, but we cannot change human nature. Parents will still be distracted by rowdy children. Pet owners will let their animals run free inside the vehicle. Rushed commuters will still shave, fix make-up, or even finish dressing on the way to work. Phone calls will be made, and yes, texting will continue.

The seat belt law did not make all of us buckle up. I know it didn't make me remember to grab that buckle every time I got into a car. Knowing the dangers of reading while driving has not stopped my spouse from keeping a book or newspaper with her in the car. The texting law will not make us put our phones away, at least not all of us all the time. We will forget. We will have just one important message to send. We will think that we are the exceptional driver that can do more than just drive. There will be more crashes. But maybe there will be a few less this year. Maybe next year the number will drop further. Maybe the only life it saves will be yours.