Texting at the wheel: Extreme risk

On my way home tonight, I stopped at a stop sign and prepared to make a left turn. About 75 yards up the road, a silver Toyota Corolla was approaching the intersection. I noticed that the driver was not slowing for the all-way stop sign. I halted my turn and could clearly see that the 20-something female driver was looking down rather than where she was going. At about 40 mph, she drove right through the stop sign, not even cognizant that there even was a stop sign.

As her Corolla passed in front of my angled Jeep Wrangler, I leaned on the horn.

Startled, eyes wide, she looked up at the towering Wrangler. In her hands she was holding a slide-open cell phone.

This young lady was texting and completely failed to see the stop sign. Had I not anticipated what she was doing and turned, she would have plowed into the side of my Jeep.

I was nothing less than furious. This young lady should consider herself very fortunate to have escaped with a scathing lecture, rather than a wrecked car and a ride to the emergency room.

There is sufficient evidence that texting at the wheel of a car is a high risk task. Several studies and tests have been performed that show texting while driving is far more dangerous than driving with .08 blood alcohol level. Yet, many people, especially younger drivers, think nothing of it. Frankly, it is remarkable.

Nationwide, states and counties need to address this issue immediately. The problem is, until some politicians lose family members to texting related accidents, nothing of consequence will occur. No one in politics ever closes the barn door while the horse is still in it.

Penalties should be no less than for driving while intoxicated. At the minimum, a conviction should require a mandatory license suspension, fine and safety course. Should an accident occur as a result, license revocation and a massive fine should be imposed. Should anyone be injured or killed, the charge should be felony depraved indifference.

The only way to prevent the associated carnage of texting while driving is to make the penalty so severe that normal people will be terrified of the possibility of being caught; or worse, suffering a crash.

Local politicans must address this issue as it is the single greatest risk to road and highway safety that we currently face. Far more people are texting behind the wheel than are driving drunk.