More and more, we hear about serious automobile accidents involving drivers who are texting with their cellphones.
One such accident involved Manny Mejia of Lakeland, Florida, who had dreams of becoming a professional boxer. Those dreams were crushed when he was hit by a car while dumping a can of trash into his garbage truck.
"My legs just got taken off right there and I remember rolling off the hood of the car into the driveway on the side of the road and I looked down and both of my legs were like crushed. They were already amputated right there," explained Mejia
The driver of the car, Stephen Horne was texting while driving. Horne faces up to five years in prison for reckless driving.
Polls show that the overwhelming percentage or drivers realize that it is dangerous and want the government to do something about it. Nevertheless, people still continue to text while they drive. A number of states have banned texting while driving, but Florida is not one of them.
Recognizing the issue, Governor Charlie Crist has requested the state legislature to take up the issue of texting while driving in the 2010 legislative session. A number of bills have been filed this year in Florida that would govern texting while driving. One such bill previously died in legislative committee last year.
"It's important that we do everything we can to make sure our fellow Floridians are safe and you know we've seen over and over again these videos of people whether they're on a train or somewhere else, that have been texting while driving and the obvious danger of it is absurd," according to Governor Crist.
Heather's Law is currently pending in Tallahassee. Heather Hurd, after whom the bill was named, was killed on her way to meet her parents at her wedding planner's office in Eastern Polk County. Before Heather could arrive, a semi truck slammed into the back of her car. Police say the driver had been texting. Heather's Law would ban the use of cellular phones while driving without a headset or hands free.
Driving while using a cellular phone is something most of us have done at one time or another. We need to be cognizant that simply using the phone has the potential to distract our driving and could result in serious consequences. Texting while driving, although some studies may indicate otherwise, seems to be present much more of a hazzard and should be outlawed. It is about time that our legislators in Tallahassee put our driving safety ahead of the interests of the telecommunications industry. They need to pass legislation which bans texting while driving during the next session. If not, we will continue to hear more and more about the tragedies which this will cause.
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