Texting and driving legislation reviewed again in Oklahoma

Photo used under Creative Commons License
Photo used under Creative Commons License

Stephany Reyes, Staff Writer

   Most states have already banned texting and driving. Oklahoma has not been one of them . . . until recently. According to Oklahoma Highway Safety Office, more than 11,000 crashes in 2012 were caused by distracted drivers. Because of many fatalities due to texting and driving, the Oklahoma Senate wants to pass a bill banning texting while driving. The bill would criminalize the use of your phone, even if it is at a red light. Police officers can pull over anyone seen using a cell phone and driving. The Public Safety committee passed the bill on February 20, 2014.

   I asked a few people about their opinions on texting and driving and the bill. Rachel Stewart said, “I don’t agree with texting and driving, and I think it is dangerous. Still, I know I have done it a few times. It just seems easy, but we are risking our lives; being behind the wheel is already a huge risk. I think it is smart to have it banned because texting hasn’t even been around for too long, and it’s already become a high cause of death.”

   “It’s no different than drinking and driving to me. It’s dangerous! I agree with the bill. It’ll encourage people to leave their phone alone and pay more attention to the road and drivers around them,” said Nina Quiñones.There are a lot of people who agree with the bill but are guilty of texting while driving as well.

   Texting and driving is hard to stop doing, but having a bill will help keep everyone safe and there will be a lower risk of accidents because of it. So, to quote the famous logo… TEXTING AND DRIVING… It can wait.