Arizona is one of the few states remaining that does not have an explicit ban on texting while driving. A vast majority of the country has adopted texting or other cellphone-related bans relating to drivers. However, Arizona’s place among the minority could soon come to an end.
A bill to ban novice drivers (those with a Class D or G permit, or a Class G driver’s license within the first six months) from using electronic devices in Arizona has moved on after it was endorsed by the House Transportation Committee. It still isn’t a law yet, but these are positive steps to improve our roads. Teaching people at an early age (which most novice drivers with Class D or G status are) can set the example that texting while driving is dangerous and that it shouldn’t be done.
However, a similar bill to ban texting for all Arizona drivers failed. All told, this marks a step in the right direction for improving road safety, albeit a small one. It only takes a split-second for a car accident to occur — and most texts take more than a split-second to compose or read. Texting drivers can be so engrossed with their phones that many seconds pass by.
While that may seem insignificant, you will travel hundreds of feet at 60 miles per hour in just a few seconds. So much can change in the flow of traffic during those hundreds of feet.
You may be free to choose if you text or not behind the wheel, but the fact is it is a dangerous and negligent act that could result in an accident.
Source: Associated Press, “Bill to ban cell use by novice drivers advances; texting bills stalled,” Jamie Killen, Feb. 22, 2014